Roads We Travel
by Waterlover445
Summary: I've made some changes and am therefore re-posting my story. Four friends travel around the Kanto region. They will encounter vengeance, corruption, violence, and more. Not only will they face the wicked Team Rocket, whom the world thought was long-disbanded, but their own inner demons as well.
1. The Journey Unfolds

The Journey Unfolds

"I swear, sometimes I think this girl is just plain nuts,"

Pearce was on his way to meet his friends, Mable and Lux, outside of the Pewter City museum. Lux said she had exciting news to share with both of them. Whatever it was she had seemed worked up about it. Hopefully it wasn't another scam she had fallen for by someone pretending to sell Pokémon.

Only one of those shady people had actually given her one of the mysterious creatures that people hold so dearly. Sadly it was nothing more than a Magikarp, which she had named Koop, with its only move being Splash. Nevertheless Lux was the first of them to own a Pokémon, even if it was a pretty useless one. Although once the red fish evolved it was extremely powerful. It was just a matter of getting that to happen.

As he neared the museum, Pearce pulled his black hoodie tighter around his body. It was far too windy and cold on this fine winter day to be out and about. Even his short red hair was blowing in the fierce wind. It was an insane idea to meet in these conditions.

Finally, he saw Mable and Lux. There was another girl with them, a girl he didn't recognize. Whoever she was the three of them were laughing. Mable took first notice of his approach. She was Hispanic, so her skin had a slight tan to it. She was wearing a red jacket lined with fake fur around the hood, a pair of jeans, and her usual gold colored round glasses. While she had warm hazel eyes, she was blind as a Zubat. The truth was all three of the friends were. Lux and Pearce wore contacts. Her hair was brown but the tips around her shoulders had been bleached from a Halloween costume two years earlier in which she had to dye it red. It actually looked really good. At least, Pearce thought so.

"Pearce!" She shouted across the way. The next thing Pearce knew the running force that was Mable was tackling him. She was quite the forceful hugger, and sometimes it was intense. "We've been waiting forevs! What took you so long?"

"In case you guys haven't noticed, it's twenty degrees out here. That tends to affect a person's ability to walk," Pearce responded with a chuckle. Lux and the other girl were already right behind Mable. Lux had a mischievous look on her face, meaning whatever she had brought them together for was either really good or really bad. She was a dark-skinned girl with dark brown eyes. Her hair was very dark brown, but it wasn't black. She wore a pink shirt with a Houndour using ember on the front, a turquoise jacket that was unzipped, and a pair of jeans.

While Pearce waited for the mystery girl to introduce herself, Lux began explaining what this ordeal was about. "I woke up this morning, and I went outside. There at my doorstep lay a box! A cardboard box! And I was like 'What's this doing here?' and of course I had to open it. Inside was a note, and said note had the words 'USE THEM WELL' in all capital letters! And I was like 'Use what?' and when I opened, I saw these!" She pulled four small red-and-white balls from her pocket. All three of the others groaned. They were Pokéballs. Poor Lux had fallen for another scheme.

"Lux, what's wrong with you? It's obvious someone wanted to fool you!" The words from the mystery girl were jokingly said but had a hint of scold. Quickly, she turned to Pearce. "My name is Erika, by the way. I've known Lux for years," Lux cleared her throat, bringing attention back to her.

"Come on, you guys! I figure there's one for each of us, and if they're duds then they're duds. Let's at least try them out!" Her eyes were full of pleading. Clearly she desperately wanted a better Pokémon than Koop. Reluctantly the three of them each took a Pokéball from Lux's hand. A huge grin spread across her face. "Great! So I'll go first, since it was my house where they were!" Without giving the others a chance to argue she pressed the button on the device, allowing it to expand.

Gracefully, as though she had been practicing for years, she tossed it into the air. As it hit the ground the Pokéball opened and a blinding light emanated from it. Within moments there was a pink blob standing, or whatever blobs do, in front of them, with two black dots for eyes and a line for a mouth. "Ditto!" the creature cried out.

At once Lux rushed towards it and began hugging it. Although to Pearce it looked more like she was trying to squeeze the life out of it. "Look at little Zubo! It's so cute!" Lux exclaimed. Apparently that was the creature's name. It seemed to like it, because it had a smile as soon as the name was spoken.

Erika was next. Her throw was a bit less graceful than Lux's but it wasn't bad. It was probably due to shock that it wasn't a scam and someone had actually given Lux real Pokémon. At any rate, a small green insect appeared from the light. "Caterpie!" it squeaked.

Just as Lux had done, Erika charged for it and gave it a hug. Her hug was gentler out of fear for the bug's life. "I shall call you Belgabad and you will be the greatest Caterpie known to mankind!" the Caterpie squealed with delight and seemed instantly attached to her new owner.

As Mable readied her Pokéball, she got nervous and slammed it to the ground like a football player scoring a touchdown would do. Surprisingly the ball wasn't injured. It contained a yellow duck with an enormous beak resembling a slice of bread. Its hands, if that was the correct term, were against its head as though suppressing a headache. "Psyduck!" the duck quacked, tilting its head to one side.

"Ducky!" Mable said instantly and rushed over to the poor confused looking creature. Rather than stay in one place he tried to run away. Sadly the duck couldn't waddle fast enough, nor could any creature wishing to escape one of Mable's hugs.

"Psy," he exhaled, accepting defeat.

Panic struck Pearce as he enlarged the device in his hand. What Pokémon would he get? What if there wasn't even one inside? There was only one way to find out. "Here I go!" he called out as he threw it in the air. It was more of a large toss than a throw, and it nearly hit Lux on the head. At first nothing happened and Pearce was worried he had done something wrong. Or worse, that he had gotten a dud. As he bent down to pick it up and try again it burst open causing him to jump back. A brown star with a red gem surrounded by gold in the center, a small gold band around one extension, was in front of him.

"Kyeeaah!" it cried forcefully. The Pokémon was a Staryu, a Pokémon Pearce knew quite well. He was actually fond of them and found them very intriguing. While he was trying to figure out whether to hug Staryu or not, Erika squatted down and poked its gem.

"It feels weird," she remarked.

Needless to say the Staryu was not happy. It spun to face her and looked ready to attack. Before it got a chance Pearce picked it up. "Staryu, it's not nice to attack people without a very good reason," his tone was gentle but clearly he was scolding the creature. "But that doesn't mean Erika had any right to poke you. Erika, you owe someone an apology," he sounded like a parent, but she didn't need to do that.

Rather than apologize, Erika held up her middle fingers and mouthed, "Fuck you," resulting in another blast of water to the face.

"Good job," Pearce laughed, hugging his new Pokémon, "Now you need a name. How about…" he thought for a moment, 'Burst!" Burst's mood instantly boosted at the sound of its new name. The others were still coddling their Pokémon, although Erika seemed to be protecting Belgabad from any possible attacks from Burst.

"Okay guys, what do we tell our parents? And what are we going to do now?" Pearce was always concerned about what things were to come. "I mean, we were told to use these Pokémon well. What does that mean?"

"It's obvious, isn't it?" Mable spoke up after forcing her Psyduck to cuddle with her. "I know what I'm going to do! I'm going to get the eight gym badges! It's about time I got out on a journey. My mom's been nagging me for years," and Mable wasn't the only one being nagged by her parents. All of them were sixteen, except maybe Erika. Pearce wasn't sure but she did look their age. A Pokémon journey started usually at age ten. But the three of them, and apparently Erika, had never been able to go. None of them had Pokémon, except Lux's Koop but that isn't enough to go on a long journey around Kanto.

"Sounds good to me," Lux jumped in. "Of course, I'm not sure how to break the news to my parents. Shouldn't be a problem though. They can't wait to get me out of the house," she seemed excited to get the journey rolling.

"Well we aren't doing this unless we're together," Erika proclaimed. "I say we do it," she turned to Pearce. "We're in. What about you, Pearce? Come on, it's all of us or none of us,"

Truthfully Pearce never wanted to collect badges. He just wanted to learn everything there was to know about Pokémon and possibly learn to breed them. If he collected badges along the way, that was just an added bonus. He turned to Burst, asking its opinion. It let out a fierce "Kyeeaah!" as if to say _Let's do this!_

Pearce nodded. "We're in. We need to leave soon, though. It's a long journey. How about Saturday? That gives us two days to prepare," Plus, tomorrow was his birthday and he wanted to spend it with his family. "And we should get Nurse Joy to check out our Pokémon before we go. They could be sick,"

The others all agreed, and put their Pokémon back in their Pokéballs. As the four of them walked to the Pokémon Center a feeling of excitement swept over them, coupled with a feeling of sorrow. They were leaving their families behind. Yet it was truly the start of something great.

To be continued…


	2. Battle Training

Battle Training

Pearce awoke to a start. Burst, who had been given a clean bill of health along with the other of his friends' Pokémon, was out of its Pokéball and on his bed. It was looking at him like it'd been waiting all night for him to wake up. He noticed that his mom, dad, and grandmother were all standing around him. They had wide grins across their faces, which meant something was up.

"What's going on?" Pearce asked, looking around the room. The grins were beginning to freak him out. Whatever was going on was big. Odd, seeing as nothing big ever happened in his life. Well minus the recent Pokémon journey plans. Surprisingly his family had taken the news very well, even his extremely protective dad. It wasn't a bad thing. His dad just really cared about him and wanted him safe.

His dad spoke first, "Well, little man, we decided it was time for you to have something. I think you're ready, and your mom and grandmother agree," The three of them exchanged glances, nodded, and Pearce's dad pulled a box from behind his back. It was green and had a ribbon tied around it. He handed it to Pearce, tears welling up in his eyes. "You've really grown up over the years, and you're finally ready to go on a journey. Go ahead, open the box,"

Pearce hesitated until Burst poked him. It seemed to be telling him _Hurry up and open it. It's really good!_ So he untied the ribbon, his pulse racing. Upon opening the box he saw a Pokéball and his heart skipped a beat. He looked up at his dad, about ready to cry himself. "Dad, are you serious?" His dad only nodded. "But it was your first Pokémon! Are you sure? I'm not sure if I can accept it,"

"I know you always got along with it, even as a child. It'll help you along on your journey," he was on the verge of sobbing, "Open the Pokéball. Say hello to your new team member," and with that he hugged his son. He then stepped back, giving Pearce room to let his new friend out. With much more hesitation and much more prodding from Burst, Pearce tossed the Pokéball to the ground. As it opened a floating figure of three spheres, each with black magnets colored red and blue on the ends for north and south on both sides, appeared. It was silver and each sphere had an eye. "Bzzt!" was what it said. It was a Magneton.

"Gizmo!" Pearce cried happily. The Pokémon saw him and let out a joyful buzz. His mom, dad, and grandmother were all smiling. Without any warning the three of them broke into a chorus of Happy Birthday and gave him four Pokéballs, three Potions, and a map of Kanto. It was enough to start out the journey. He had some money saved up so they didn't have any need to give him any. After a lot of hugging and laughing he put Burst and Gizmo back in their Pokéballs and headed out to meet the others. They were going to work out their route outside of the museum so they wouldn't have to worry about it in the morning. The arguments didn't take long to start.

"After we take on the Pewter gym we need to head through Mt. Moon and go to Cerulean City!" Lux yelled as she traced the route on Pearce's map with her finger. They were all grateful he got one, as the only other one was in the Pokémon Center and it would be embarrassing for the four teenagers to stand in front of it all day. "It's clearly the best way to go!"

"No! We should go through Diglett's Cave and hit the Vermillion gym!" Mable protested. Ducky and Zubo simply sat with Pearce, Erika, Belgabad, Burst, and Gizmo on the sidelines. None of them were willing to take sides. Pearce looked at Ducky with a pang of sympathy. Apparently the argument had made his headache much worse.

"Enough!" Erika shouted. She was clearly tired of their bickering, and the force in her command startled everyone. "Look, why don't you guys settle this the old-fashioned way?" her fingers were massaging her temples as she spoke, "Have a Pokémon battle. The winner is the one whose route we take. Besides, we'll never get anywhere unless we strengthen our Pokémon," the idea seemed to make both girls happy.

"I'll referee," Pearce declared, as he got to his feet, thankful that it was a shockingly warm day. "Seeing as none of us have many Pokémon, this match will be one-one-one. The first one to knock her opponent's Pokémon unconscious wins. Now Lux, stand over there," he pointed to the right side of the field, "Mable, you go over there," he pointed to the left. "Since our Pokémon aren't very strong, as far as we know, they shouldn't do much damage to the surrounding area,"

Lux and Mable took their positions. Pearce looked at both of them and saw the determination in their eyes. Neither of them wanted to lose this battle. It was hard to tell who wanted to win more. He raised his arm. "Ready? Begin!" He brought his arm down to signal the battle's start. And with that, it began. Mable's choice was obvious: Ducky. Zubo was Lux's choice. All that was left to do was see who won.

"Zubo, Transform!" Lux called out. With that, the pink blob took the form of a Psyduck. It was a direct replica of Ducky. In fact they could have easily gotten confused for each other. At least, they could have if Zubo's face didn't look the same. It had the same eyes it did as a Ditto. "Run at it, full speed!" Lux commanded. The confidence in her voice made it seem as if she'd battled many times before, though it was clear she had little knowledge of what exactly to do. In any case the photocopied Psyduck did as told.

Mable was having trouble figuring out what to do. She was nervous and struggling to find the words. "Ducky, dodge left and use Scratch!" Had she been a moment later there would have been a Psyduck collision. Just as he jumped to the left, Zubo was right where its target had been standing. Ducky then scratched his foe, and continued doing so as Mable directed. Poor Zubo was getting mauled.

Lux let out a growl of frustration. "Zubo, push him away then scratch him repeatedly!" While Zubo had trouble pushing Ducky away, once that was done it had no problem returning the blows. Both Erika and Pearce were feeling the heat of the battle and waited to see its outcome.

"Break away, Ducky! Scratch it back! Shove it to the ground!" Mable continued desperately calling out commands, but no matter what she said her poor Psyduck couldn't escape. Just as she was about to make one final attempt, it was done. Ducky was down for the count. "Ducky is unable to battle!" Pearce announced. "Zubo wins!"

"Ducky!" She raced towards her Pokémon and cradled him.

He looked up and let out an exasperated "Duck,"

Mable simply told him he had fought very well and that he needed to rest inside his Pokéball, which she promptly returned him to. Zubo went back to being a Ditto and was swiftly returned to its own Pokéball after much praise from Lux. With that, they agreed it was Lux's route they would follow.

"That was fun to watch," Erika remarked. She then turned to Pearce. "How about we have a battle? After all, our Pokémon need to get stronger, too," A smirk appeared on her face as she picked up Belgabad, "Unless you're scared, Pearce,"

Pearce just scoffed at the accusation of being scared. His eyes went to Burst, who was unable to keep still at the thought of a battle. They had both reached the same conclusion. "Let's do it,"

Lux was the referee for this battle. It was Belgabad, on the left, and Burst, on the right. Lux raised one arm. "Begin!" Just as Pearce had done, she brought it down to signal the battle. It was a flurry of commands and moves.

"Belgabad, String Shot!" Erika called. A sticky string shot from the Caterpie's mouth. It was heading straight for Burst. It was sure to slow the Pokémon down if it hit.

"Dodge it! Then Tackle!" Pearce cried out. Burst jumped to the side and began doing cartwheels towards Belgabad.

"String Shot again!" Erika commanded, but before her Pokémon could obey she was hit with a full-on tackle, knocking her back.

This made Erika angry. "Tackle right back!" She yelled.

"Harden!" Pearce countered. Burst tensed every muscle in its body making itself rock hard. The tackle didn't do anything but injure the Caterpie. The battle was far from over.

"String Shot one last time!"

"Dodge it!" But Pearce wasn't fast enough. His Staryu was covered with a sticky web and trying to break free. He was flustered, trying to think of what to do.

"Belgabad, Tackle! Full strength!" Erika called. The green worm launched itself at her trapped foe. Pearce did the only thing he could think to do.

"Harden again, Burst!" Just like before, Burst became a rock hard object.

Belgabad hit Burst head on, only this time she managed to knock the Pokémon back. At least it was freed from the webs, but it seemed to do some damage, to both Pokémon. It wasn't over yet, but everyone was exhausted. Both the Pokémon and their trainers were panting heavily and looked worked up. It was time to bring this battle to a close.

"Tackle!" Both Erika and Pearce called out the attack at the exact same time, or at least it was too close to call. The two Pokémon headed straight for each other. As they neared the point of contact, it was as if the world went silent. The tension was thick enough for a Scyther to cut through. It was a head on attack, and it stirred up some dirt.

As they waited for the dirt to clear, it was impossible to tell which would be left standing. It was as if the entire world had taken in a collective gasp when it was clear that both Pokémon were still upright. At any moment would or both of them could fall over and end the battle. It was just a matter of time. And it happened. Belgabad let out a weak squeal and fell to the right, Burst still staring her down.

"Belgabad is unable to battle! Burst wins!" Lux sounded very pleased as she called out the results of the battle. It took a moment for it to sink in, but when it did Pearce was overwhelmed. He had won his first battle. Not long after he realized this did Burst fall over itself. As he raced to its aid, he realized the small group of people that had gathered around to watch the battle. But something else caught his eye as he looked up from his injured Staryu.

After Erika had scooped up Belgabad, the Pokémon started to glow. Pearce recognized that glow from his research of the creatures. He'd just never seen it happen before. "She's…evolving!" He exclaimed with astonishment.

The glowing Caterpie's form morphed into a cocoon. "Metapod!" the green cocoon shouted. Erika was stunned. She was the proud owner of a newly evolved Metapod.

"Congratulations!" Mable told her.

Before Pearce could offer his congrats, Lux cleared her throat. "I think we need to pay Nurse Joy another visit. After battles like that, our Pokémon need it. Come on. Let's go," And so the four of them rushed to Pokémon Center, Pearce and Erika cradling their Pokémon as they ran. It had been a good battle. He was glad he managed to win; of course Burst was the one who actually emerged victorious. The experience was good for all of them and their Pokémon.

"You seem to have worked them hard!" Nurse Joy scolded once their Pokémon had been healed. "Be careful next time!" And with that she shooed them away. It was true that their Pokémon had been through some intense training, but they didn't know how things would turn out. But they should have been more careful; none of them could deny that. With that in mind they sulked out of the Pokémon Center and thought about the next day.

"So we all need to be ready for the gym tomorrow." Mable said as they began wandering aimlessly around town.

"We should get plenty of rest and make sure our Pokémon are in great shape." Pearce added.

"And we all need to make sure we're ready to leave afterwards. We collect the badges and go on our way," Lux put in.

"But what if we don't all win? Besides, I'm sure the gym leader will need time to rest between battles. He can't take us all on at once," Erika pointed out. This made them all stop and think.

"Should we leave Sunday?" Pearce suggested after an awkward silence. "We didn't take those things into account," he felt stupid for not thinking about the possibility one or more of them might not defeat the gym leader.

"No, I think we should go on as planned and hope for the best," Lux decided. "My bag is already packed for the trip and my parents are ready to get me out,"

"Let's take a vote," Mable inquired, her mind seemingly made up. "All in favor of leaving tomorrow?" All four of them raised their hands. The vote was unanimous. Nobody wanted to wait until Sunday, although they would likely be awake all night the next day trying to beat the Pewter gym.

"I'm going to catch another Pokémon!" Erika wore a look of determination on her face. "I don't think Belgabad will be able to do much in her current state. I'll see you guys tomorrow!" With that she raced off into the distance, leaving the other three with their thoughts as the sun went down.

Mable yawned. "I need some sleep. And my mom said she wanted to talk to me before tomorrow. Goodnight, my amazing traveling buddies!" It astonished Pearce how quickly things were happening. It felt like just yesterday he had met Lux and Mable, and now they were going on the journey of every kid's dreams. Not only that, they were leaving behind everything they knew.

"We need to get going, too," Lux said, interrupting his thoughts. "I'll catch ya tomorrow, Pearce! Let's win this thing!"

The two friends parted ways with a hug. As Pearce arrived home there was a lot more hugging and crying. But there was also joy and laughter. Things were going really well. While it was difficult to say farewell to his family and they to him, everyone knew things would change for the better. That didn't make it any easier on them. After hours of family time, Pearce went to his room and packed his bag. He had everything he needed to start out. Nothing left to do he fell asleep. Literally flat on the floor from exhaustion.

To be continued…


	3. Throwing Stones and Dodging Pebbles

Throwing Stones and Dodging Pebbles

Erika had insisted on battling first at the Pewter gym. Something had her very worked up, probably related to the Pokémon she set out to catch the previous day. As it turned out she felt the same way Pearce did about collecting the badges. She wasn't really interested in getting them. The way she saw it was if she won any, that's great and if she didn't, oh well. None of them expected that from her. And so her battle against the Gym Leader Brock began.

"Geodude!" The leader called as he tossed the Pokéball onto the rocky battlefield. From inside the device came a rock with arms, eyes, and a mouth, and it hovered over the ground.

"Dude!" he cried in a rough voice. It was a rock type, Brock's specialty.

"Let's go!" On the word 'go', Erika tossed her Pokéball on the field. Rather than the green cocoon that was expected to appear, there was a tiny bird that looked rather scruffy flying high above the ground.

"Pidgey!" he trilled as he flew around in a circle.

"Tuft!" he turned his bird head as Erika called his name. "Let's win this!" The fighting spirit was obviously flowing through both of them, as their faces grew equally intense.

"Begin!" The referee signaled, bringing down both a green and red flag. The flags represented which side each trainer was on. Brock was green, on the left, and Erika was red, on the right.

"Rock throw!" Brock ordered Geodude. The rock broke off a piece of the battlefield and hurled it at Tuft.

"Blow it back with gust!" The bird rapidly flapped his wings in the direction of the hurtling boulder, creating a fierce wind. The boulder slowed down and was pushed back at high speed towards the Pokémon that threw it.

"Punch it!" As the command was shouted the boulder exploded into dust and debris. When it cleared, the Geodude was still there with its arm extended in a punch. Much to his surprise, Tuft was coming on at full speed in a dive bomb. It seemed Erika had counted on the boulder's obliteration, and everyone was impressed.

As the bird neared his target, Erika did something else nobody saw coming. "Grab it, Tuft!" She called out. At once the Geodude was being hauled high into the air against its will. Brock called out things like

"Grab its wings!" and "Bite it!" but it did no good. The two Pokémon kept climbing into the air until finally Erika gave the order to throw it. Geodude was defenseless as it slammed into the gym's wall, leaving a Geodude shaped crater. That was enough to knock it unconscious.

"Geodude is unable to battle! First battle goes to Erika!" Tuft trilled as he flew in circles and Erika cheered. There was still one more Pokémon for them to beat.

"Well done, Erika," Brock complimented as he returned Geodude to his Pokéball. "But I'm afraid it won't be enough with this next one," he pressed the button on another Pokéball. "Go!"

The Pokéball opened high in the air and from it came a Pokémon larger than life. It was a giant snake made of boulders and a fin shaped rock on the top of its head. From its mouth came a mighty roar that shook the building. The giant rock snake was an Onix, and it was terrifying. It looked to Pearce as though it would devour everyone in the room and make Tuft its appetizer. The poor bird Pokémon was mortified by his opponent's size.

"Begin!" The referee shouted.

"Onix, bind!" Brock commanded immediately. The rock snake grabbed Tuft with its tail and began squeezing it with extreme force.

"Wriggle free, Tuft!" Erika shouted as her Pokémon squawked and struggled for dear life. She couldn't take watching it any longer. "Tuft, return!" A beam of red light shot from Tuft's Pokéball and retrieved the bird. With fear for Belgabad's safety, she looked up at Brock.

"I forfeit," She called out. This took everyone by shock, especially Pearce. She seemed to have such drive and determination, making her the last person he would expect to give up. "This isn't worth it. I'm clearly not ready to take you, or any gym leader, on and expect to win. I'll come back and fight when I'm ready," Erika turned to her friends, who still wore faces of pure shock. "I'm not abandoning you guys on the journey. Gym battles just aren't for me. I'll be waiting at the Pokémon Center. Let me know how you all do," And without another word, she exited the gym.

Brock just smiled. "It's good to know when to quit. She'll be a good trainer," The words were said so everyone could hear, as though Erika had taught them all a valuable lesson. With no hesitation he called back the Onix and looked directly at the others. "Who's next?"

Once Brock had healed his Pokémon and readied them for the battle, he and Pearce faced each other. While his stomach was filled with Butterfree, Pearce was ready to fight. He had confidence that he would win, but part of him wasn't sure he wanted the badge. Before he had time to really think about it, the battle began. As Brock had done in his battle with Erika, Geodude was first. Since electric attacks wouldn't do much good, Pearce went with Burst, taking the advantage. Rock Pokémon were weak against water types.

"Begin!"

"Geodude, Tackle!" Brock ordered his Pokémon. The rock charged at his opponent with surprising speed.

"Water Gun!" Pearce told Burst. A high-powered stream of water spewed from the top point of the Staryu's body. It hit Geodude with enough force to make it cry out and fly backward. It got back up after Brock encouraged it, but was still clearly affected by the attack.

"Geodude, return!" Brock said with a growl. It wasn't what Pearce expected at all.

"Onix!" "Once again the humongous rock snake appeared on the field. Water gun wouldn't be enough. "Bind!" Brock ordered, dragging Pearce out of his trance. Just as with Tuft, Burst was wrapped by the giant's tail. This time it brought down its face to watch its victim suffer. This gave Pearce an idea.

"Use Water Gun and aim at its face, Burst!" Though it was a struggle, another burst of water flew from the water Pokémon. The grip was loosened, giving Pearce another opening. "Rapid Spin, same place as last time!"

Burst began spinning rapidly, hence the name of the move. It began spinning so rapidly it was defying the laws of physics, flying into the Onix's eye. He let out a cry of pain and fell backward with a thud. Burst spun back to the ground with a graceful and triumphant landing. "Onix is unable to battle! This battle goes to Pearce!"

Brock returned his beaten Pokémon back to its Pokéball. As Pearce got a closer look at Burst, he realized it was clearly worn out. It wouldn't take much for it to faint. He didn't want to risk it, even though Gizmo would be at a disadvantage. He returned it back to it Pokéball and sent out Gizmo as Brock sent out the injured Geodude.

"Sonicboom!" Pearce called out. A shock wave emanated from the Magneton he was now proud to call his own.

"Defense Curl!" Geodude curled up, protecting any weak spots from the oncoming attack. As the shock wave hit the only apparent effect was pushing back its target a few feet. "Now Earthquake!"

Somehow the rock Pokémon caused the entire building to shake. Earthquake was a ground type move, meaning big trouble for Gizmo. The electric and steel Pokémon fell to the ground and was violently thrown around while everyone in the room nearly fell over as well, minus Geodude. As it subsided, it was clear Gizmo was out. "Magneton is unable to battle! Brock takes this battle!"

As Pearce returned Gizmo to its Pokéball, a feeling of dread washed over him. Burst was severely injured from Onix's bind. But it was his only choice. He sent it into battle once more, the gem in its center blinking from exhaustion. "Begin!"

"Tackle!" The opponents called out simultaneously, sending their Pokémon head on at each other.

Pearce had no intention of seeing a repeat from the previous day. "Jump over it!" He called. Burst, who had been cartwheeling towards the Geodude, leaped over him at the last second. Just as it did, however, Brock gave the order to grab it and its leap was cut short. Like a ninja throwing a weapon Geodude threw Burst. It was heading directly towards the wall and Pearce couldn't bear to see it injured so badly.

"No!" He cried out, running into the path of his Pokémon and the wall. It crashed into him with so much force he flew backward a few feet himself as he caught it. While they hadn't known each other very long he really cared about the star shaped Pokémon. It was clear the battle was over. "Staryu is unable to battle! Brock has beaten the challenger!"

"You did really well, and I'm proud of you." Pearce reassured Burst as he put it back into its Pokéball. He crossed the field, which wore a large crack from the earthquake, and met Brock face to face. "That was a great battle," The leader told him as they shook hands. "You have some real skills as a trainer,"

"Thanks," Pearce said awkwardly, "But I'm not really interested in being a full-fledged trainer. Gyms aren't for me either," He smiled and turned back to make his way to the doors of the gym. "I'll see you guys at the Pokémon Center," Lux and Mable waved as their friend walked out with his head held high.

* * *

It began snowing lightly as Pearce entered the Pokémon Center. Though it wasn't a lot of snow, it was enough to make him wish he had a fire Pokémon. He pushed the thought from his mind. He adored his companions dearly, and that was that. After handing them to Nurse Joy for a good healing he spotted Erika beckoning him. Part of him was dreading telling her how it went.

"So the Earthquake knocked out Gizmo, and I managed to save Burst from a horrible accident," Pearce explained. "Still, we managed to beat the Onix," he grinned at her astonished face.

"That's incredible, and awful!" Erika exclaimed. "You should have won!"

He shrugged. "It doesn't matter to me. I've realized something. I don't have a chance at being a Pokémon Master. I've accepted that. I _do_ have a chance to make a decent breeder, however,"

Their conversation went on like this for a while, both of them talking about how they didn't want to collect badges but instead find other paths to take in the field of Pokémon. Erika wanted to be a treasure hunter or an explorer, something involving making new discoveries and learning about ancient or undiscovered Pokémon. Nurse Joy didn't scold Pearce about the injuries of his Pokémon but did remind him to be careful. Finally, after about two and a half hours, Lux and Mable walked in. Both of them were flaked with snow.

"How'd it go?" Erika and Pearce asked as they shot up from their seats. In reply their friends each flashed a Boulder Badge, only obtained from defeating Brock. Mable's was pinned to a headband she wore, while Lux's was fitted into its place on a bracelet her mother had given her. Mable said she had no trouble with Ducky and the Diglett her sister had sent to her. Being a ground type, he had the upper hand. Lux used Geodude's earthquake against both him and Onix by having Zubo transform. Koop got in some action too, smacking the Onix in its face by jumping with an insanely high splash.

As they laughed and talked about the battles, their oddly received Pokémon along with them, a boy they knew all too well came over to them, a look of pure loathing on his face. He had brown hair that looked a lot like Pearce's and pale, bland green eyes.

"Azo," Lux spat. The boy, who was their age, had spread a rumor about one of their friends after she left for her own journey involving vulgar activities.

"Hello," Mable shuddered as he spoke. She'd remarked many a time that he sounded like a moaning Walrein. He ignored her. "All of you, laughing and having fun with your Pokémon. It's disgusting! Pokémon are for fighting, not companionship," He tossed a Pokéball on the ground and out came a fierce looking Koffing.

The floating purple gas bomb took a look at Zubo and growled, as if looking for a fight. This did not bode well with the blobby Pokémon. It jumped off the table the friends were sitting at and locked eyes with the challenger. "Ditto!" _You want to fight?!_

Lux reached down and scooped up her Pokémon, not taking her glaring eyes from Azo. "You can go to hell. Just because you don't give a lick about your Pokémon or their well-being doesn't mean the rest of the world has to think the same way. Anyway, what are you even doing here, Azo? I thought you'd have skipped town ages ago,"

'Only in everyone's dreams,' Pearce thought.

"I'll have you know, Lux, that I was stopping by to retrieve a Pokémon I had to drop off the other day. The weakling had to stay overnight because I 'worked it too hard,'" The boy spat out the last few words. "If a Pokémon can't take the training, it's of no use to me. As soon as I get it back I'm tossing it! The useless creature doesn't even deserve to live. I'm feeling merciful," With that he called Koffing back into its Pokéball and trudged over to Nurse Joy, who did not look pleased to see him. Lux just scowled.

"I hope you get eaten by a horde of Carvanha while a Zapdos electrocutes the water!" She spat with absolute fury. The two of them had been rivals ever since he started the rumor.

"I can cut his lips off and sew them to a Cacturne," Pearce suggested. Lux managed a smile.

"You got that from me," she chuckled.

'Don't worry about that poor excuse for a human life form," Erika said. "Let's get going! I want to get this journey started so I have something to tell my grandchildren when I'm old and wrinkly about to face death!" There was a humorous growl with the words that raised everyone's spirits.

They ventured out of the Pokémon Center when Mable smacked herself on the forehead. "I promised my mom I'd tell her how I did before we left!"

So the four friends ran to Mable's house through the light sheet of snow. After about ten minutes Mable emerged from the house. "Let's go!"

They began the hike to Mt. Moon and beyond that, Cerulean City. As they exited the city limits, however, a blue Pokémon rushed up and jumped into Lux's arms, knocking her down. "Hey! Watch it!" She yelled. Her anger dissipated when she noticed the look of pure terror in the little turtle's eyes. And then she saw why.

"What are you doing?!" Azo screamed at the Pokémon, causing the poor thing to bury itself into Lux's jacket, unable to think of the security it had within the confines of its shell. "I told you to get out of here! You're weak, and not worth my time!" He then noticed whose arms his victim was in. "Oh, I get it. You found more weaklings willing to take you in," He gave a somewhat amused smirk. "Well fine. If someone thinks you're worth anything then I say it's their problem," He turned and paced off without even giving a word to the trainers.

Lux let out a growl of fury, almost like a Persian ready to fight, then turned to the Squirtle in her arms. "If that bastard won't take you, then I will! How does that sound, little guy?" The Squirtle looked up at her as though she had saved him from a monster. Then again she had. She remarked that this Squirtle was a lighter blue than most others she had seen. That made him even cooler in her book. "Come on then, Riddle! Do you like that name?"

He responded with an excited "Squirtle!" Lux smiled and pulled out a Pokéball. As she opened it the Pokémon was sucked into it and after watching the device wiggle a few times she heard the click that signified a successful catch.

"Cool," the others said in unison.

And so, with a new member of the team, a goal in their hearts, and a rival begging for a good crushing, the friends set off towards Mt. Moon. The journey through would take at least a day, but on the other side lay their next challenge: the Cerulean Gym. Wonders awaited them inside the cave as well as many challenges. They didn't care though. This was the first day of the rest of their lives, and they planned to make it count.

To be continued…


	4. Route Jenny

Route Jenny

After what felt like days of walking, in reality it was only three hours, the group reached the entrance to Mt. Moon. At least they assumed it to be the entrance. There was a large pile of boulders at the foot of the mountain. A police motorcycle was parked in front of the Pokémon Center that was there for travelers to rest before delving into the mountain. And of course the friends wanted to take full advantage of it.

As they entered the building, Pearce noted there were only two people besides the four of them inside: Nurse Joy and Officer Jenny. It was not surprise that she would be there seeing as every Officer Jenny, confusing family reunions for both them and the Nurse Joys were inevitable, drove one of the motorcycles parked outside. The unusual thing was the extreme lack of activity. Even in remote areas like this, a Pokémon Center tended to always have at least one patron. Officer Jenny was the first to take notice of their presence.

"Sorry, kids," she stood up straight. "Mt. Moon is currently impossible to travel through. There was a rockslide, as I'm sure you noticed, and it blocked the entrance. Luckily nobody was hurt but it will take weeks to clear the rubble," she let out a heavy sigh. "You'll have to go another way if you want to get to Cerulean City,"

"Is there another way from here?" Mable asked desperately.

"Maybe over the mountain?" Lux laughed, but Pearce seemed to be considering it. After all it would be quicker than going around it and it seemed unlikely that they would be willing to wait for the entrance to clear. Jenny broke into his thoughts.

"If you have a flying Pokémon, you could fly over. A few trainers have taken to that. Of course if not, there is one other way," she seemed unsure to explain the other option. It looked as though she wished she hadn't mentioned it at all. "There's a path over the mountain. It'd take two days to travel, three with snow. I warn you though, it's dangerous. Sometimes thieves have been known to hide out there and jump unsuspecting trainers, taking their Pokémon,"

"Oh, Jenny!" Nurse Joy cut in. "You know as well as I do that nothing of the sort has happened since Team Rocket disbanded all those years ago!" While she was smiling and trying to sound convincing, but Pearce detected a hint of uncertainty in her voice. "At any rate, it should be perfectly safe for such energetic kids. They do have enough to worry about as it is, so there's no need to scare them out of their skin!"

For Pearce the choice was obvious, and it looked as though the others agreed with him. "It seems like the best route," he decided, everyone else nodding agreement. "It shouldn't be trouble," he continued, turning towards the police officer, "Just show us where it starts, and we'll go from there,"

Officer Jenny seemed hesitant but finally gave in. "Alright. But first you all should stay here and rest for a bit. I'm sure you and your Pokémon are tired and hungry," as she said that, Mable's stomach began growling loudly, soon followed by Erika and Lux. The three of them laughed, and Pearce's own stomach growled in response. This only made them laugh harder.

"We can rest a bit, but we do need to get going," Lux reminded them.

Soon everyone was eating happily, including all of his or her Pokémon. Pearce had packed Pokémon food he and his dad made. This was of course what got him interested in breeding. Pokémon all had different tastes, resulting in a different type of food for each Pokémon, though generally every Pokémon ate just about anything. However, some Pokémon don't eat in the way humans do. For example, a Magneton consumes electrical energy, whereas a Hypno eats dreams. There are some Pokémon that don't eat at all, like Metapod, which relies on the energy it stored as a Caterpie. Of course some Pokémon eat others, like Pidgeot and Magikarp. It was all very fascinating to Pearce.

Nevertheless, he had prepared food for any type of Pokémon the friends might have. Both he and Mable had brought food for the trainers themselves. Mable's mom was an amazing cook, so nobody complained. Their favorite food was her chicken. It was always really tender. Riddle had seemed a little hesitant at first, actually all the Pokémon had. But Riddle seemed nervous to try it as though it might kill him. It actually seemed as though he had never had food at all, which wouldn't be a surprise given his previous trainer. In the end he tried it and began stuffing his face. It was actually adorable.

After everyone had eaten what they could, given they had to save some for the trip, Officer Jenny led them to a path that went up the mountain. It was just past the pile of rubble. "I can't go with you. I need to stay here and let people know about the rockslide. So just be sure to follow the path, and be prepared for anything,"

Nurse Joy came out to see them. "I found some coats in the back room. They may not fit, but they'll keep you warm," she handed them out, and they actually fit pretty well. Typical Joy, always looking out for people. It was kind gesture and they thanked her for it.

* * *

"I'm aching!" And thus came the first complaint. Had anyone taken bets, the ones on Erika would have gotten the money. It was understandable. They had been walking for at least four hours. Naturally the mountain had snow on it, making the walk much more difficult.

Lux sighed. "Let's take a break. But our Pokémon are staying inside their Pokéballs. We can't afford for anyone to get hurt or lost,"

After about ten minutes of rest, the group continued their walk. They picked up the pace in order to make up the time. With any luck they'd make it to a safe place by nightfall, which was quickly approaching. As the daylight faded there came a drop in temperature. This made the friends thankful for the coats, but they were still feeling the chill. 'Unless there's a house nearby we'll all freeze!' Pearce thought.

Alas, there was no such luck. They weren't even at the top by the time they could see the moon. "I-I'm so c-cold!" Pearce managed to get the words out with chattering teeth.

"W-well we can't s-stop yet," Lux replied, though she felt like she was close to losing her fingers to frost bite. "There's n-nowhere safe enough,"

"W-what about there?" Mable pointed off in the near distance. At first it was hard to see what she was pointing at through the snow, but after focusing their eyes the others could see what it was. There was a cave in the distance.

"T-that w-will work just f-f-fine!" Erika sounded irritated. It was hard to blame her given the fact they had been walking for at least five hours since their break, not to mention in the snow. What harm could it do to check it out?

Two minutes of walking, and some falling performed by Pearce, later, they were inside the cave. There were scorch marks around the walls, though they were clearly old. "It's still cold!" Erika griped.

"Well, let's see if we can find something to burn," Pearce suggested. The others stared at him as if he were crazy. "I have matches," This was met with a unified 'Ooooh'. Thus began the quest for flammable substances.

"Guys! I found something!" Mable sounded both confused and bewildered, and once she found her way back the friends knew why. What she found had not been wood or straw but in fact a fiery orange egg. "It's really warm. What is it?"

"It's a Pokémon egg!" Pearce said with excitement. He snatched it from Mable's hand. "A fire Pokémon at that," that was clear given the egg's color and the warmth it radiated. "I wonder what it's doing here."

"Who cares?" Erika yelled. "If it's warm, it's good! Now let's make a circle around it before I _die_!" She was acting like they were all her Pokémon and this was an intense battle.

Pearce wouldn't have that. "No. This is an egg, not a heater. And it's an egg I plan on holding on to until it hatches!" He sounded surprisingly firm, leaving Erika stunned. Mable and Lux simply snickered at her reaction, which was quickly met by a glare.

"It's not that big of a deal," Lux said through chuckles. "I thought something like this would happen. I didn't want to use this unless it was an emergency, but clearly this is one," as if it were a normal thing, she pulled a bundle of branches from her backpack. "Let's get this place warm!" And with that random moment out of the way, they struck up a fire that filled the cave with warmth. One by one they fell asleep, drained from the long journey. Pearce was the last one awake, the egg held to his chest.

* * *

The sun was bright as it rose over the mountain. While it brought little warmth the friends felt wonderful as they continued their trek. No longer were they tired as they were before the nice, warm night's sleep. Pearce clung to the egg as though it might try to fly away. Erika kept trying to touch it, resulting in glares from Pearce. Lux and Mable just kept their distance from the two, scouting ahead for any obstacles. So far everything was great. Hours passed without anything going wrong. And at long last, they reached the top of Mt. Moon, flat only where they stood but not impossible to wander. The steep slopes and mile-long view had them awestruck. For a moment none of them spoke.

"Let's have a swivel chair race down on this side!" Erika's comment was met with looks that seemed both worried and joyous. "I was kidding, you guys. Although it would be fun,"

"Who doesn't love a few shattered bones and broken chairs?" Lux asked sardonically.

"Buffy," Mable replied. It was an inside joke. Buffy was a girl they knew who seemed to only care about grades and being a downright know-it-all. It was childish, yes, but funny as hell.

"Do we rest a bit or trudge on?" Pearce knew the question was inside all of their heads, though the sun seemed to be saying it was only around two o' clock. "I mean going on would make the most sense but we have been at this for a while,"

"Vote time!" Mable shouted happily. "Rest for a bit?" Nobody's hand went up. "Move on?" Everyone raised his or her hand that time. There wasn't much the four of them didn't agree on. "That's that! On we go!" With the sun in their faces they carefully made their way down the mountain, onward to Cerulean City.

To be continued…


	5. Frozen Toes, Icy Hearts

Frozen Toes, Icy Hearts

Climbing down the snowy Mt. Moon was both easy and difficult. It was easy because, well, downhill slopes are always better than uphill. As for the difficulties, there was ice. There were also rocks that could easily have sent any one of the friends tumbling down the mountain. All of these things were avoided, even with their bad coordination. After four hours of tricky maneuvering, the long awaited first accident took hold.

"Fudge berries!" Mable's famous curse replacement rang out.

"Hold still!" Pearce told her, trying to get a look at the injured knee. With much reluctance Erika was holding the egg. His exact words had been, "If that thing hatches while I'm looking at your knee, you're out of luck and Erika may be our next patient," and nobody doubted it. Finally he managed to check out the wound. A hole had been ripped through her jeans to the skin. "All you did was scrape it. There's a little blood but you'll be fine," He got up and took the egg from Erika, who tried to hold on to it. She gave up in fear of it breaking.

"We should rest anyway," Lux decided. "We've been walking for hours," she gazed at the setting sun, turning the sky pink as it went below the horizon. "It'll be dark soon, so we may as well camp here. I know it's not very safe but it's all we've got," There was enough room for all of them and a small fire but they wouldn't be able to keep as warm as the night before. Pearce cursed himself for not bringing a sleeping bag, as did the others.

"At least we have jackets," Mable remarked.

"Someone should keep watch, just in case," Erika suggested, the others agreeing rapidly. "We can take shifts. I'll go first. You guys get some sleep," Soon a fire was going and all was well. Mable took next watch, followed by Lux. At first things were uneventful, if not dull. Lux kicked around a few rocks to occupy the time. Then she heard a rock move as she readied another kick.

"Be quiet, you idiot! They'll wake up!" a woman's voice whispered.

"You're the one making all the racket!" that voice was a man.

"Shut up! Do you want to blow our cover?" The two kept bickering back and forth. Lux had to stifle her laughter, something she had difficulty doing. After clearing her throat and regaining her composure, she ventured over to the blundering pair.

The two couldn't have been older than their mid-twenties, although they were arguing like an old married couple. The man had hair that was as red as a Pokéball and hung above his shoulders. The woman had long green hair that went to the center of her back. Both wore white jackets and white bottoms that looked to Lux like sweat pants. Neither wore a wedding ring, so that meant they either didn't get along or were just having a dispute.

"You do realize I can hear the bedlam you're making?" Lux whispered after her study of the pair was complete. This took them by surprise. They both turned around slowly, and upon seeing the dark skinned girl jumped backward. "Just who do you think you are anyway?" She demanded. The woman laughed, the kind of laugh that gives the impression something wicked is happening.

"Seeing as we've been discovered, I suppose it's only fair to tell you," her words were met with the same laughter from the man.

"Yes, think of it as a reward for noting our presence," he turned to his partner. "Ladies first, as they say,"

The woman did a spin as though she were a ballerina, her green hair floating as she did. "I'm Marianna!" She took a bow as she proudly proclaimed her name. Keeping the bow, she looked at the man. He didn't spin but he did flip his red hair.

"I'm Sanders," a thumb up was all he gave. After allowing Lux to look at them for a moment to pair stood beside each other with their arms at their sides.

"I guess you want to know why we're here." Marianna mused.

"Well, we won't tell you," Sanders put in. It was like this had been scripted. The two of them pulled out Pokéballs.

"That is, not without a battle," they said in unison.

"Wait, wait, wait. Battle? Here? Now?" Lux was thoroughly confused.

"Yes, you little pest!" Marianna growled. "We haven't got all night! Now wake up one of your friends!" the look of confusion was clear on Lux's face.

"We can't have a double battle with just three of us!" Sanders made it seem like the most obvious thing in the world. "Now wake one of them up, or we'll do it for you!"

Lux sighed. There was no way out of this. "Okay, okay. Come on," She led them back out into the makeshift camp, cupping her hands around her mouth. "Wake up!" The shout echoed off the mountain and made the three sleeping friends jump, all of them screaming. Once Lux calmed them down, she filled them in on the situation.

"I'll do it!" Mable volunteered as soon as her friend was done speaking.

"Great!" Marianna shouted without giving anyone a chance to reply.

As usual Pearce refereed, the egg naturally still in his arms, and Erika decided to go back to sleep. Nobody blamed her since they wanted to do the same and nothing was stopping her. "Double battle, one Pokémon per trainer. No exceptions. Start!" Pearce just blurted the words out. He wanted this to be over so he could sleep.

"Riddle!" The tiny blue turtle popped out of his Pokéball with a fierce look on his face. Lux wasn't sure what moves he knew and this was a good time to find out.

"Diglett!" A brown mole with a large red nose appeared. Mable's choice was odd given the terrain, but it was too late to change.

"Misdreavus!" Marianna threw out her Pokéball and out came a purple ghost with a thing that looked like a red pearl necklace around her neck and pink tips on what seemed to be her hair.

"Sentret!" Sanders summoned a brown, round ferret with a white belly and dark brown stripes on its tail, which it used to stand on. Both were Johto Pokémon and rare finds in Kanto.

"Riddle, Bubble!" But the small blue turtle was making a snow angel, having a great time by the look of things. Obviously he was young and had never seen snow before. This, of course, put a limit to his abilities. "Riddle!" This snapped the Pokémon back into reality. After Lux repeated the command, a small stream of bubbles shot from the Squirtle's mouth, heading towards Misdreavus.

"Dodge!" The ghost swiftly avoided the stream of bubbles. "Confuse ray!" A ray of light shot from the Pokémon's eyes and sent poor Riddle into a state of, well, confusion. The turtle ended up spinning and falling over, still conscious but unaware of what was going on. This made Lux face palm.

"I got this." Mable promised. "Diglett, Astonish!" The mole did something utterly horrifying. Burrowing at high speeds towards Misdreavus, he screamed at the top of his tiny little lungs. His mouth was gaping and his small black eyes were as big as dinner plates. The poor ghost was stunned from pure shock, and Marianna was close to the same state.

"Sentret, Fury Swipes!" A barrage of scratches from the ferret mauled Diglett, but he was still in the game.

Deciding to use the ghost Pokémon's stunned state to her advantage, Lux told Riddle to fire off another round of bubbles. This time they hit their target dead-on, knocking her out cold. "Return!" Marianna growled as she put her fainted Pokémon back in its Pokéball. "You'd better win this, Sanders,"

"Don't worry," Sanders reassured her. "I've got this," There was a glint in his eye as he grinned. "Quick Attack!" Sentret dashed in a zigzag pattern at lightning speed, seemingly aiming at Diglett.

"Dodge!" Mable ordered, but at the last second the ferret jumped over the mole and was heading directly towards Riddle.

"Bubble!" It was all Lux could think to do, and Sanders smirked.

"Jump!" Sentret cleared the stream of bubbles, leaving a clear path for them to burst against Diglett's body. He then rammed into Riddle for the Quick Attack finale. Both Pokémon were down for the count. There was a long silence as the witnesses to what had just occurred stared with gaping jaw.

"Nice work," Marianna muttered. And it had been. All of the Pokémon were put in their respective Pokéballs.

"Sanders and Marianna win!" Pearce cried out, relief flooding his entire body. "Now let's go to sleep!"

"Hold on," Lux's words made Pearce whine. "You said if we battled you'd tell us what you're doing here. So spill the beans," A chorus of mischievous giggles answered her.

"But you failed to beat us, so you're out of luck," Marianna teased, wagging her finger.

"Now Marianna, we could whet their appetite," Sanders pointed out. "We don't have to tell them everything,"

"You're right. A hint could satisfy them. Besides, it's always good to figure things out on your own," The glint that had been in Sanders' eye prior to his victory was now in Marianna's.

Both of them pointed to Pearce. "We need that egg, and what's inside it," they said in unison. Before anyone could reply, Marianna pulled out a small black box with a white button and an antenna. After she pressed the button a white helicopter, like ones the military might use, hovered above them and a man dressed similarly to the pair lowered a rope ladder.

"We'll be seeing each other soon!" Marianna shouted over the noise of the whooshing blades. She ascended the ladder, quickly followed by Sanders.

"Ta!" They both shouted in farewell as they made their way into the copter. There were no insignias or words with which to identify it. All they had was a white helicopter carrying a bunch of strange people. That wasn't why everyone was concerned, however. All eyes were on Pearce. Well, not Erika's. Her eyes were on her eyelids. Not even the whirring blades of the helicopter had woken her.

To be continued…


	6. Cerulean Yellow

Cerulean Yellow

"Here comes the sun

_Doo doo doo doo_

_Here comes the sun_

_And I say_

_It's all right…"_

Mable sang the words because, of course, the sun was rising as the friends continued their way down the mountain. It was also to brighten everyone's dismal mood after the night's events. Erika was filled in not long after they happened. Her reply had been no more than a dropped jaw. But what could she have said?

The song did seem to make things move at a quicker pace. In just two hours the mountain hike was over, and nobody complained the entire way down. The buildings of Cerulean City surrounded them within ten minutes of reaching ground level. Their first stop: Pokémon Center. And the Center was just as calm as any other. Well, almost.

"A Pikachu!" Mable exclaimed. Sure enough, a small yellow mouse with three brown stripes on its back and a lightning bolt tail, a dip in at the tip, stood right in front of the door. Her little red cheeks, used to store electricity, had a smile between them and her black eyes shone with pride that she had been recognized. Mable approached her, changing her face from 'Pride' to 'Oh shit.' Thus began the chase around the Pokémon Center.

"Pikaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" The Pikachu cried as she ran from Mable.

"Pikachu! I want to hug you!" Mable laughed. Many trainers adored the electric mouse for its cute appearance and its love of riding people's shoulders. That made it easier to travel with and, in some cases, provided an accessory to heighten one's appearance. Mable was one of those many trainers who thought it was the ideal companion. Of course, she wouldn't trade Ducky for all the Pikachus in the world.

Leaving their friend to her activity, Lux, Erika, and Pearce approached Nurse Joy. "Hello," She greeted with a bow. "Welcome to our Pokémon Center. Would you like us to heal your Pokémon?" This Joy was so formal compared to the others. It was strange. But nobody thought anything of it.

"Yes please," Lux said. She pulled out her three Pokéballs and then two others, "These two belong to our friend, the one chasing your Pikachu around,"

Joy giggled. "That's not my Pikachu, sweetie. In fact she's a wild Pikachu," The friends looked in awe.

"Why does she come here then?" They asked in unison, except Mable who was too occupied chasing the poor mouse around.

"Well, a few months ago a young boy brought her in. He was crying: 'Nurse Joy, Nurse Joy! This Pikachu is bleeding, and it's not good!' Sure enough, there was a large gash between her eyes and almost touching her nose. Blood was just welling out. It was one of the worst things I've ever seen! Anyway, I fixed her up but she had to stay overnight. I asked the boy what happened and her looked at me guiltily but didn't answer my question. So I asked him again, and he pulled out a Pokéball. Opening it revealed a Scyther, and that's when I knew. 'I was trying to catch it and Scyther got a little too intense with a move.' He explained. It was a very dreadful story, and as soon as he knew the Pikachu was better he thanked me and left. She's been coming back here everyday since I saved her life," tears were welling up in her eyes but she held them back. Mable joined the group, the Pikachu struggling to get out of her arms. On closer inspection it was clear that the Pokémon had been injured at one point due to the scar between her eyes.

"So this Pikachu has no trainer?" Mable asked for clarification as the Pokémon in question jumped onto the counter.

Nurse Joy nodded. "But she is willing to give trainers a chance to catch her. So far all who have tried failed. This is a strong Pikachu, and very speedy. After she was better she acted as though she had never been hurt at all. I was sure I'd never see her again, but she came back the next day healthy as ever," she reached out and stroked the Pikachu's head. "I still worry about her, and I think she knows that. It could be why she comes back every day. To let me know she's all right," the nurse looked up at the travelers and smiled. "Now, I'll be right back with your Pokémon," within minutes the Pokémon were fully healed and back with their trainers.

"Pikachu?" Hearing her name made the Pokémon's ears twitch. "I want to catch you!" Mable's eyes showed intense determination as they met the eyes of her opponent.

"Pi!" The mouse grunted. _Let's do it._ It wouldn't have been a good idea to battle in the Pokémon Center, so they trekked to a field outside of Cerulean City's limits, in the direction of Mt. Moon. Pearce, Erika, and Lux stood nearby to watch the battle.

"Ducky!" Mable's choice made everyone groan. A water type against an electric type had a poor chance of winning. Diglett would have been a much better choice. "Confusion!" Ducky's eyes turned blue and Pikachu was lifted from the ground, and then thrown back down with great force. She didn't seem to be very injured but the move did affect the wild Pokémon.

"Pikachu!" A yellow shock of electricity, a move known as Thundershock, shot from the Pikachu and was going right for Ducky.

"Jump left!" The electricity missed the yellow duck by less than a foot.

Pikachu suddenly began coming at Ducky with a Quick Attack. It was the fastest Quick Attack any of them had ever seen. Before Mable could react, Pikachu made contact with Ducky and knocked him over. But Pikachu didn't stop there. She kept running back into the city, crying out to Mable tauntingly.

This greatly upset her. "Erika, Tuft can give us an aerial view. Diglett is going to try underground. Everyone else, ground level. We're splitting up, so call out your Pokémon!"

Shocked by how forceful she was everyone did as they were told. Of course Koop and Belgabad stayed in their Pokéballs, but everyone else was standing at attention. "Lux, you and I will go together. That means Erika and Pearce are paired up. Gizmo and Ducky are a team. Burst, Zubo, and Riddle go with each other. Diglett, you're on your own. Try and track Pikachu by her footsteps. Tuft, you're also alone. Fly over the city and if you see her, find a group. Now let's get that Pikachu!"

"I think she's gone bananas," Pearce whispered to Erika.

Mable quickly spun around to face him. "What did you say, soldier!? Did I hear backtalk!?"

"I didn't say anything! I swear!" None of them had ever seen her like this. Even the Pokémon were trembling.

"Then let's move, move, move!" Everyone but Lux took off as though a wild Gyarados were on a rampage. Mable smiled. "I think that went well,"

* * *

Burst, Zubo, and Riddle went through the middle of the city, the street with the Pokémon Center. Their eyes were open and scanning the buildings as well as the ground. Cerulean wasn't a large city, but it was large enough for the search teams to split up.

"Squirt squirtle!" _Look at how tall the buildings are!_

"Kyeeah!" _Focus! We have to find Pikachu!_

"Ditto. Di to to ditto," _What does it matter? She's not my trainer. I say we forget this whole thing a goof off. _Zubo transformed into a can of spray paint, its face on the side. "Ditto," _Let's graffiti! _

Burst used Water Gun on the Pokémon, sending it back a few feet. "Kyeeah! Kyeeah kyee-ah!" _If we don't do this, we'll be letting _all_ of them down, not just Mable! Now go back to your original form and help us look! Riddle back me up!_

Riddle was looking at the Cerulean gym. "Squirtle…" _Whoa._

"Yah," _I'm working with idiots._

"Pi-ka-chu!" _I'm up here!_ All three Pokémon looked up. On top of a flagpole jutting from the side of a house was Pikachu, their target. "Chu!"_ Nyaaah! _She stuck her tongue out and began hopping rooftops.

"Kyeeah!" _Come on! _She cartwheeled after Pikachu, Zubo close behind in its amorphous form.

"Ditto!" _Riddle hurry up!_ The turtle was startled back into reality and nearly tripped as he tried to catch up.

The two water Pokémon took turns spraying water and shooting bubbles at the fleeing electric mouse. Zubo decided to take the form of a Geodude and hurled rocks. Pikachu dodged every attempt with grace and elegance, infuriating the Pokémon is pursuit. All three attacked at once, only to have the water and bubbles avoided. The rock, however, was sent flying back towards them. With no time to avoid the projectile they all made impact and were left in a pile, Pikachu scurrying away.

"Squirt?" _What just happened?_

* * *

"Bzzzt?" _Why?_ Gizmo was dismayed. Ducky kept tripping over the loose stones on the pavement, and whenever the electric-steel magnet posed the duck with a question, the response was a tilt of the head followed by "Psy?" _What?_ The search on the east side of town was going to be full of headaches.

"Duck!" _Look!_ Much to Gizmo's surprise, there was actually something useful to be seen. That something was Pikachu, standing before them, motionless.

"Bzzt," _This is a trap._ But Ducky took no notice.

"Psyduck! Psy-duck duck!" _We did it! Mable will be so happy! _The duck ran over to Pikachu in an attempt to grab her. He did manage to wrap his arms around her, but was quickly electrocuted. While the duck fell over and was smoking he was still conscious.

"Pika-chu!" _Try to catch me!_ She was taunting Gizmo.

"Bzzt! Zzzt bzz! Zzzt!" _No way! I'm too smart to fall for your tricks! _He let loose a sound wave, the move Supersonic, disorienting Pikachu. This gave it time to get Ducky off the ground and help escort the Pokémon to Mable.

"Duck! Duck!" _We caught her! We caught her!_

* * *

The sight of a yellow object in motion caught the Pidgey's eye. He swooped down to get a better look. With a trill of excitement as he saw the target had been apprehended, Tuft flew back up in the sky and searched for Mable. His keen sense of direction made the trainer easy to find.

"Pidge!" _Follow me! _He was fluttering in front of Mable and Lux, knowing they wouldn't understand his words but hoping they would get the message as he flew away in the direction of Gizmo and Ducky. The trainers looked at each other.

"Let's go!" Mable exclaimed. The girls were running as fast as they could in the direction the bird Pokémon led them.

* * *

"Diglett!" _Pikachu!_ Diglett popped up in front of the bicycle shop. No sign of Pikachu. With a sigh the mole Pokémon burrowed back underground, alert for any sign of a Pikachu sized creature on the run above his head. He sensed people walking and bikes being ridden, but no Pikachu.

At last he did sense a Pokémon running. Not wanting to take any chances the brown mole sprang out into the open in the Pokémon's path. "Dig!" _Stop!_ On the plus side Pikachu was there. The negative side? Ducky, who ended up tripping over Diglett, was carrying her. That resulted in the target being thrown a pretty good ways down the stretch of pavement. Another plus? Mable, Lux, and Tuft arrived before the creature had a chance to escape.

* * *

Pearce and Erika had long since given up. They had been searching the west side of the city for what felt like days. With no luck they decided it was a good idea to sit at a nearby table. "If Pikachu comes this way, we'll see her," the logic was mutually agreed upon as well as thought of.

"I get that Mable wants to catch the Pokémon, but why must she freak out over it?" Pearce was annoyed but mostly just trying to clear his mind.

"Lighten up," Erika grumbled. "None of us have managed to catch a Pokémon since we started this whole journey. If Mable is the first one to do it, then that's that,"

"Yeah, she's just really worked up about it," Pearce stared up at the sky. "I hope she doesn't become obsessed,"

"If she does, she does. There's nothing we can do about it," Erika was being truthful, but there was worry in her voice. "I do admit she is becoming a bit focused on this. But we can't force her to stop trying to catch that Pikachu. I say we let things happen and deal with the results after,"

"I guess so. I've just never seen her so centered on one task this fiercely," Pearce sounded like a paranoid father, but he was only looking out for his friend.

"Stop worrying so much. She'll be fine," his friend reassured him. "Let's just see how things turn out, alright?"

He sighed. "Okay,"

* * *

"Pika…" _Wha…? _Pikachu, snapped out of her confusion by the landing, struggled to pick herself up. Noticing Mable, her energy and strength returned. "Pikachu!" _Let's do this! _

The brown haired girl seemed to understand perfectly. "Ducky, Water Gun!" A burst of water shot from the Psyduck's bill, aiming at Pikachu from behind. The mouse jumped high in the air to avoid it, but Mable saw it coming.

"Confusion!" She shouted as she and Lux avoided the spray of water. Once again Ducky telekinetically controlled Pikachu, only this time the duck was lifting his foe higher and higher. Finally, once the Pokémon was about three stories up, Mable gave the order to release. Pikachu was left free falling towards the ground, panicking the whole way down. "Water Gun again!" Perfect timing, just before she hit the ground.

Pikachu let out a cry of pain, as she was sent sideways by the blast. Once she hit the ground, it was over. "Ka…" She groaned.

"Go Pokéball!" Mable gracefully tossed the red-and-white device towards the unconscious creature. Pikachu was absorbed in a red light. The ball twitched once, twice, three times…_Click!_ Pikachu was hers!

"We did it!" Mable jumped for joy! She raced over to pick up her new addition to the team and then to her Pokémon that made it possible, picking him up as well. "Our first catch, Ducky! That was great work!" She hugged him forcefully.

"Duck!" _Go us!_

Lux walked over to her friend. "Great job, Mabes. Now let's round everyone up,"

There was no need to gather up the team of three. Zubo, back to a pink blob, was trudging along in their direction followed by Burst and Riddle. All three seemed somewhat haggard but were not badly injured. "Riddle, Zubo, return!" Lux returned her Pokémon back into their respective Pokéballs.

Mable did the same with Diglett and Ducky. "That leaves Pearce and Erika," Mable said.

"Pidgey!" _Follow me!_ Tuft trilled. He began flying in the direction he had seen the pair during the big search. After a few minutes everyone was reunited. Needless to say, the sight of Pearce and Erika lounging about made Mable unhappy.

"You two had the nerve to sit and do nothing while the rest of us searched for this?" She held out the Pokéball.

"Oh so you caught her!" Erika remarked, trying to make this a happy moment.

It worked. "Yes! I'm so happy! I caught my first Pokémon!" Mable was jumping again. "I've already decided on her name!"

"What is it?" Pearce asked, only to have a finger waved in his face.

"You'll have to wait for the big battle at the Cerulean Gym to find out." She winked.

"Aw," Pearce whined. With a start he realized his Pokémon were still in the open. "Return!" Erika recalled Tuft as well.

Tomorrow was a big day for Lux and Mable, where the two friends would battle for their second gym badge. If the Cerulean gym leader was anything like Brock, they'd need a lot of rest. The four friends walked back to the Pokémon Center to stay in one of the rooms they offered. The day had worn them out, and after camping out for the past three nights a bed would be welcome by all of them.

To be continued…


	7. Dastardly Works

**This chapter is a little side-plot sort of deal.**

**In this, we leave our friends Mable, Lux, Erika, and Pearce on pause.**

**Our focus is shifted to Marianna and Sanders.**

Not everything about their motives will be revealed in this chapter, but some questions will be answered.

Dastardly Works

The woman with green hair let out a heavy sigh. "I wonder what they want to see us for," She mumbled, canting her way to the conference room. "It's not as if we did anything they didn't ask!"

"Now, now, Marianna," the man had Pokéball colored hair. "We don't even know they want to scold us. They could be congratulating us on a job well done," hope was speaking more than his common sense. It was rare to receive praise from them. "But you're right. This is very odd. We were just assigned this mission, after all,"

"Sanders, you know as well as I we don't deserve praise," Marianna reminded him as they entered the room. "But we definitely don't deserve scolding! How were we supposed to know that a group of pests would beat us there!"

"Ahem," The sound of two throats clearing at once got their attention. On the large video screen, the width of at least four Snorlax and height of three Onix, were their leaders. The man had bluish-purple hair that was the same length as Sanders' and the woman had hair that was almost as red, styled in a blown-back tail with a curl at the end, and she sported green spherical earrings. They both wore white suits with red ties. "If you don't mind, we have important business to discuss," they said in unison, as they often did.

The two bowed in apology. "Now, it's come to our attention that you managed to scale Mt. Moon," the man reported in a sinister voice. "Is that correct?"

"Yes, sir," Marianna confirmed. "We managed to reach the cave, where the egg was located,"

"Yet you failed to acquire the egg," the woman sounded disappointed. "How is that possible, might I ask?" She glared at them, challenging them not to be candid.

Sanders gulped. "Well, ma'am, there were children; three girls and a boy. The boy had the egg and when we tried to retrieve it while they slept we were discovered,"

"You battled them, did you not?" They asked in stereo. Their voices were full of chagrin.

"Yes, we did. And we were victorious!" Marianna was proud of their success, and defensive of it as well.

"Then where is the egg?" The man demanded an answer. "We need the Pokémon growing inside of it for our plans of total Kanto domination! We must do this as a posthumous fulfillment of our late Boss's dream! Or have you forgotten?"

"We made you Second-Rank Minions because we saw your potential!" The woman growled. "Were we wrong to promote you? Should we demote you back to First-Rank and take back the Pokémon we awarded you?"

"No!" Sanders was growing defensive himself. "We will not disappoint you any further! We have a plan of our own to extract the egg," Marianna looked at him in bewilderment. They had no plan, to her knowledge.

"Plans of your own? Need I remind you who is in charge?"

The man held up a hand, telling her to hold on. "Jessie, let's hear them out," Jessie huffed in reply. He ignored her. "What do you have in mind, Sanders?"

"Sir, I propose we do battle with them again. However, unlike last time when we offered information of our plans –"

"You did _what_?" The man interrupted him.

"We offer something much more rewarding," Sanders went on, ignoring the interruption. "Money, should they win. Children their age always want money. If we win, why, we get the egg,"

Marianna stared. It was a dexterous plan. "If they refuse to accept?" Jessie soured Marianna's happy thoughts. Sanders only smiled.

"They won't. We'll have some sort of…collateral that will make them accept the challenge,"

"James, what should we do?" The red headed woman looked at her partner, who only sighed.

"_If_, and that is a very large if, this plan works and you enthrall us then you will be promoted to Third-Rank. But should you fail to get the egg for us you will go beyond demotion. We will not only make sure your time with this team afterward is ephemeral, but we will give the assignment to Naomi and Austin, who have proven to be extremely zealous to all we stand for,"

"We will also take away your Pokémon and brand you as Parasites," Jessie felt the threat would make sure they didn't fail. Parasites were not only the lowest of the members to be kicked off the team, but they were sent out into the streets with nothing and stripped of their own identities. It was a Minion's worst nightmare, especially in Sector One.

"But ma'am, isn't that a bit extreme?" Marianna was appalled by the severity of the threat.

"No!" Their leaders spat. "This is of the utmost importance! We would have chosen Fifth-Rank Minions to do the job, but we didn't because you two remind us so much of ourselves at that point in our lives!" Everything was in unison at this point, as though they were robots. "We don't even _want_ to pass this on to Naomi and Austin. But we will if we must!"

"Do not worry, Bosses," Sanders was calm all the while. "We will not fail you. I have a Plan B, should Plan A fail. We _will_ get the egg for you, by any means necessary,"

"See that you do!" The screen went black.

"Sanders, I hope you know what you're doing," Marianna muttered worriedly.

"Don't worry, Marianna," her partner reassured her. "We won't lose this,"

To be continued…


	8. Water Levels Rising

Water Levels Rising

The room was unpleasantly cool as it was flooded with early morning light. It hadn't been comfortable during the night either. Rather than the beds provided in the rooms that cost money, the prices ranging from $20 to $700 per person per night, the free rooms offered by the Pokémon Center had air mattresses. The prices seemed steep but donations alone wouldn't fund a Pokémon Center. But the friends didn't have enough money between them for a three-night stay as well as food so free it was.

"_Why_ does this journey have to be so uncomfortable?" Pearce whined miserably.

"Stop complaining!" Erika punched him in the arm. "It's a long journey. It's not made to be comfortable,"

"I slept great!" Mable commented as she stretched. Lux agreed silently as she, too, stretched her limbs. This was the day the two of them would challenge the Cerulean gym leader and hopefully both obtain their badges. It was a great thing they got some peaceful sleep the night before. They'd need all of their strength.

After a quick check of personal belongings required for the day, Pearce's mystery egg included, the traveling troupe made their way to the gym. It looked large on the outside, but the inside was a large swimming pool with platforms that appeared to be hard plastic resting on the water. On either side of the pool was a blue diving board type platform towering above the water with rails around the top. Clearly the pool was the field for battle.

"Misty!" Lux called out, her voice echoing throughout the room. "We've come to battle you!" After she spoke a door at the opposite end of the room creaked open. A girl who couldn't have been much older than eighteen stepped through. She had short carrot orange hair that was tied up in the back, making it look like a Cyndaquil's fiery back. She wore a yellow tank top with a pair of jean shorts that barely went halfway down her thighs. There was a fire blazing in her eyes as if she were itching to battle.

"If it's a challenge you want, I accept it!" Her voice was loud and authoritative as if to demand respect despite her age. Misty was the youngest gym leader in Kanto. That meant that she was often looked down upon. "Just be prepared to lose!" She had confidence, as all gym leaders did. Still it could sometimes come off as arrogance. She climbed up the tower and took her place on the battlefield. Lux promptly did the same, feeling slightly awkward as she climbed.

"So, how does two Pokémon each sound to you?" Misty asked her opponent. In some gyms it was the challenger who decided the amount of Pokémon used in battle. It wasn't the case in all gyms, but it was up to the leader to set the rules.

"Fine by me!" Lux had fierce determination in her face.

"Begin!" A referee appeared from nowhere as he shouted the command, scaring Lux out of her skin for a moment.

"Staryu, go!" Pearce's ears perked up as he heard the gym leader's first choice. This battle was one he needed to watch. There was a lot to learn from a leader, especially one who had the same Pokémon as the trainer observing. The star Pokémon stood on one of the platforms out on the water. It looked strong and well trained, the gem in its center beaming with battle experience.

"Koop!" Lux's choice was strange. Magikarp generally couldn't do much in a battle.

"She must be using the terrain to her advantage," Erika and Pearce seemed to agree. The red fish landed in the water, clearly pleased to be out in the open. When he realized he was in a battle his face went from exhilarated to stern, eager to prove himself as useful.

"So, you chose to use my own type against me?" The gym leader was amused. "Let's see who's the better water trainer! Rapid Spin!" Misty gave the first command. Staryu spun itself at lightning speed, much faster that Burst could do, and headed directly for Koop.

"Under water!" The fish quickly dove beneath the surface of the pool.

"Follow it!"

Lux cursed herself for forgetting that Staryu was a water type and therefore could follow Koop. The star Pokémon plunged below the water, sending as large splash into the air. Beneath the battlefield, where nobody could see, Koop evasively maneuvered around the underwater Rapid Spin. It was slower than on land but still a speedy attack. With no orders from their trainers to be heard the Pokémon simply danced. Both were getting worn out, but neither was ready to give up. It was pointless to continue this without commands from their trainers, so the Pokémon resurfaced.

Lux noticed how tired both Pokémon looked, but she saw it as an advantage rather than a setback. "Tackle!" The Magikarp jumped out of the water and flung itself at Staryu.

"Dodge!" Misty ordered her Pokémon, which managed to jump into the air.

"Slap it with your tail!" There was really no other way to attack. Luckily Staryu hadn't managed to jump very high and Koop got in a fierce slap in the gem. That seemed to be the weak point on the star because it landed on one of the platforms looking quite disheveled. After a few moments, it was decided it wasn't getting back up.

"Staryu is unable to battle! First round goes to Lux!"

"That was a good battle, Staryu," The gym leader called her Pokémon back, her look of pride for the creature's effort quickly replaced with the intense need to win. "Poliwhirl!" A blue Pokémon with arms looking like white boxing gloves, thick blue feet, and a giant hypnotic swirl on its belly appeared on the field. It quickly jumped in the water and scowled at its opponent.

"Begin!"

"Doubleslap!" Poliwhirl propelled himself at Koop.

"Splash to dodge!" The red fish slapped the water as hard as it could, jumping into the air a few feet. He would've been able to jump higher had he not taken such a beating against Staryu. It wasn't high enough. Poliwhirl grabbed him by the tail and began slapping him five times before throwing the fish down in the water. Koop didn't resurface immediately. Beneath the water came a bright glow, like a mysterious source of energy. As it faded a giant blue water dragon with fins down its back shot up and roared furiously.

"It's a Gyarados," Erika gasped.

While the ferocious beast seemed full of energy, it quickly fell to the left, sending up a large splash of water. Koop was down for the count. The referee shook the water from his clothes, apparently the only one affected by the splash. "Gyarados is unable to battle! Second round goes to Misty!"

"Koop, return!" Lux called back her Pokémon, still in awe. "Good job, old friend. You need a rest. Riddle, let's win this!" The Squirtle landed on one of the platforms that had not been moved by the waves created by Koop and quickly realized that he was surrounded by water. With glee the young turtle leaped into the pool and swam in circles. "Riddle, focus! This is an important battle!" The stern call from his trainer snapped Riddle back into reality. He quickly put on his game face as he jumped back on the platform.

"Quite a young Pokémon for this battle, wouldn't you say?" Misty was taunting, though not to be entirely mean. It was a tactic many gym leaders used to make sure challengers gave it all they had. "What's done is done. Poliwhirl, Body Slam!" The blue tadpole shot into the air, coming down above Riddle with his arms and legs spread out.

"Withdraw!" The turtle retracted into its brown shell, protecting itself from any damage. Poliwhirl slammed his entire body down onto the shell. Riddle was safe and took no damage.

"Doubleslap!" Misty was determined to get the Squirtle out of its shell so she could win. Poliwhirl slapped the shell in front of it repeatedly.

Lux was in a difficult position. Riddle had to come out of his shell soon; otherwise this battle would go nowhere. A thought struck her. "Headbutt it!" Headbutt wasn't a typical move for a Squirtle, but it was worth a shot. The turtle shot his head from the safety of his shell, fear giving him more force. He struck his opponent in the middle of his soft belly. This caused him to stumble backward into the water. "Tackle!" Riddle took a running start before jumping at Poliwhirl.

"Doge!" The move hit its target before he could move. The tadpole was knocked backward through the water, hitting his head on one of the platforms. Poliwhirl floated on his back, unconscious.

"Poliwhirl is unable to battle! Lux wins the match!" Cheers erupted from her friends at the announcement.

The competitors climbed down from their perches. Lux's friends were all shouting out words of celebration. "Congratulations!" There was no resentment in her voice as Misty held out her hand towards Lux. "You've bested me, and because of that I must give you the Cascade Badge," in her hand was a blue badge shaped like a drop of water.

"Thank you." Lux fitted it into her bracelet beside the Boulder Badge.

"Also, you have earned this prize money," The leader handed Lux small velvet pouch. "If I were you, I'd treat myself to a little something. That was great battle,"

"Misty," Mable butted in on the moment. "I'm here to battle, too!"

Misty's face regained its fiery hunger for battle. "Let's go, right now!" This was met with bewildered looks.

"Don't you need to heal your Pokémon?" Pearce asked the gym leader. Rather than respond, Misty simply ran back to her battle post.

"Hurry up!" Mable just shrugged and made her way to her side of the field.

"Two each for this battle too!" Misty called across the pool. Mable nodded.

"Begin!" The referee shouted.

"Starmie!" Starmie was the evolved form of Staryu; therefore they were similar in appearance. Unlike Staryu, Starmie was purple, its gem was octagonal, and it had an inverted star on the back, giving it ten points rather than five.

"Chubee!" The Pikachu caught the day before appeared on the watery field. The battle was underway.

"Bubblebeam!" A forceful spray of bubbles shot from the purple Pokémon's octagonal core.

"Dodge!" But Chubee was already in the air, clearly used to being wild and not waiting for orders. "Chu!" Yellow electricity shot from her red cheeks, heading directly towards Starmie.

"Dodge it!" Starmie jumped left, narrowly evading the strike.

"Chubee, Quick Attack!" The mouse did as she was told, though she seemed reluctant. With dexterous speed she charged at her opponent making use of the platforms in the water.

"Swift!"

A plethora of golden stars emitted from the core this time, hurling towards Chubee. The yellow Pokémon tried to weave through them but was struck head on as she neared her target. With a cry she landed in the water, resurfacing with a look of rage. At once she jumped back onto a platform and charged in another Quick Attack much more intense than the last. Before Misty could order her Pokémon to do anything it was hit with full force, sending it back a few feet. "Chu!" Another Thundershock came from Chubee, electrocuting her opponent.

"Chubee, enough!" The call from her trainer made the Pokémon turn her head. As the move ceased, Starmie landed on its back with a thud.

"Starmie is unable to battle! First round goes to Mable!"

With that, Misty called her defeated Pokémon back into its Pokéball. "You did great, Starmie," she whispered.

"Chubee, return!" Mable called her Pokémon back in frustration. "Ducky, come on out!" The Psyduck emerged from his Pokéball and onto a platform, his hands resting on his head as usual. The gym leader only smirked as she threw her Pokéball. Out came a blue Pokémon with claws, webbed feet and hands, a tail, and a red jewel between its eyes. The jewel coupled with the four points on its head gave the appearance of a crown.

"Golduck!" It cried.

"Ducky, use Scratch!" The yellow duck ran, jumping when needed, towards his evolved form, his left arm in a striking position.

"Water Pulse!" A pulsating wave of water generated from Golduck's jewel, heading towards Ducky.

"Dodge it!" Direct hit. Being a water type move, Ducky took little damage. The move did pack a punch, though, sliding him back a few feet and causing him to grunt.

"Now Fury Swipes, Golduck!"

The blue duck leapt at its foe, the claws on its webbed hands sharp and gleaming. As it landed Golduck brought down its left arm, claws raking Ducky's bill. The strike was quickly followed by the right hand scratching his head. After another strike to the bill, Golduck did a back flip to face its opponent. Though Ducky had a few scratches from the attack, none of which seemed to need immediate care, the yellow Pokémon looked ready to fight.

Mable felt a sense of pride for her partner's determination. "Water Gun, full power!" Ducky let out a forceful spray of water from his bill, striking Golduck in the diaphragm and knocking the wind out of it. "Now Scratch!" Before his opponent could catch its breath the yellow duck raked his claws up from its stomach to its bill. With a cry Golduck flung backward onto another platform, landing on its head. The battle was done.

"Golduck is unable to battle! Mable wins the match!" Mable jumped with glee.

"We did it! We did it!" Both trainers called back their Pokémon and returned to side of the pool. Lux and Pearce were cheering while Erika ran up and hugged her friend.

"Great match, especially against your Psyduck!" Misty congratulated. "I present the Cascade Badge and your prize money,"

"Thank you," Mable said gratefully as she pinned the badge to her headband. With a round of farewells to Misty, the friends headed back to the Pokémon Center, the sun already bidding the day _adieu_.

To be continued…


	9. Hatching, Catching, and Snatching

Hatching, Catching, and Snatching

The sun was high and bright as a cool breeze glided across the grass. Leaves rustled in the trees along Route 5, Pidgey and Pidgeotto sang while Spearow cawed. Poliwag enjoyed time in the pond. The occasional ring-ding of a bicycle bell was the only indication of human presence. It was one of those days when nature just came out and said, "Look at me!"

"This is great!" Mable sighed as they sat by the pond. "The weather is just perfect!" And indeed it was. It wasn't blistering, it wasn't bone chilling; it was the ideal temperature. Best of all, the pollen count was near zero. It was strange January weather, but Kanto's weather was mercurial. Mable grabbed her Pokéballs, enlarged them, and threw them all into the air. Chubee, Ducky, and Diglett were soon staring at her.

Within minutes they each had their Pokémon out. Koop towered above them as he occupied the pond, though he seemed content in the water as Ducky, Burst, and Riddle swam around him. Chubee and Gizmo tried to outdo each other with their Thundershocks that were often aimed at one another. Tuft joyfully spread his wings and flew above the trees while Diglett vanished underground, dotting the ground with holes as he popped back up randomly. Belgabad and the egg stayed within Erika and Pearce's arms since neither could do anything but sit around like chubs. Mable and Lux were counting their money.

"Eighty, ninety, one-hundred dollars!" Mable shouted with elation. She quickly clamped her hands over her mouth, not wanting to be the next victim to any thieves. "Plus the fifty from Brock and the thirty from my parents," she added quietly. "That's $180. How about you?"

The cocoa-skinned girl silently finished counting her own funds. "Okay, I got thirty from my parents, fifty from Brock, and one-hundred from Misty," she held up a necklace of a Kyogre with a moustache she purchased from a mom-and-pop store in Cerulean City the day before. "This was $19.81, so that means I have…" She began doing calculations in her head. "One-hundred-sixty dollars and nineteen cents,"

"That's a total of $240.19 so far," Pearce figured. "I still have the 200 I saved over the past few years, so that's $440.19," They all looked at Erika, who took a moment to realize what they wanted.

"Oh, we have $470.19 with my thirty. I find that weird. You'd think we would have had to spend some by now,"

"Well, we all packed a lot of necessities with us," Mable pointed out. "We all brought enough food for at least another few days. The water we can replenish easily, and none of us has been sick so we still have plenty of medicine. And the free stays at Pokémon Centers have really helped,"

"This may be somewhat upsetting to point out, but we also haven't had to buy more Pokéballs because we haven't made too many catches," Pearce, while being matter-of-fact, was still disheartened.

"It's unacceptable!" Erika's shout was shrill as she jumped up, nearly dropping Belgabad on the ground. "I am gonna catch a Pokémon in this forest if it's the last thing I do!" Fire burned intensely in her brown eyes, so much so it seemed like it could melt her glasses.

_Crack!_

The noise wasn't too loud, but it broke the silence.

_Crack!_

It came again, louder. Everyone looked around puzzled. Was it a Pokémon?

_Crack!_

At last the source was discovered. It _was_ a Pokémon! Only it wasn't wild. Belgabad's cocoon body was splitting, and from the opening came a blinding white light. The light formed into a shape above the Metapod shell.

"Free! Free free!" the purple insect with white wings and red eyes cried out as it flew above them. Belgabad had evolved into a Butterfree.

"It's beautiful." Mable and Pearce sighed. The Butterfree danced in the air happily, her blue feet occasionally kicking as though he were fending off a foe.

"Wow," Erika whispered.

"Our Pokémon are evolving like they're on steroids," Lux commented. "Next thing you know Chubee won't need a Thunderstone,"

Belgabad fluttered back down to her trainer, a look of determination in her eyes. After so much time out of the action it was clear the Pokémon was eager to get into battle. Erika understood perfectly. "Let's do this thang!" The Butterfree nodded swiftly, ready to get thangs done.

"Fire Fang!" A girl's command rang through the trees, sending up flocks of Pidgey and Spearow.

"Smog!" A voice they all recognized with disgust. The voices still going back and forth the group ran off in the direction of what was clearly a battle, their Pokémon back in their respective mobile devices. Whatever the boy was up to, it was obviously no good. Despite their hunger to avoid him at all costs they had to see what was going on.

Sure enough, Azo was there, jackass clothes and all. No matter how bad the boy tried he would never look cool. Ever. Beyond him was a Koffing, the same one he showed off in the Pewter Pokémon Center, and it looked pretty beat up. On the other side of the clearing, past the grimy patches and singed plants, was a girl with extremely curly brown hair and seafoam green eyes and freckles around her nose. In front of her was a Growlithe – a dog Pokémon with a tiger pelt, a white fluffy tail and belly, and a fluff of white fur between its ears. The poor thing looked like it could pass out at any moment, far more injured than the Koffing, but still maintained a drive to win.

"Luna, Fire Fang again!" The Growlithe opened its maw, and almost instantaneously it was ablaze. The fire Pokémon charged with a growl at its opponent with an almost feral look in its eyes. The dog leaped in the air ready to clamp its flaming jaws down on the gaseous enemy.

"Sludge," Azo was calm in the arrogant way, but unfortunately he had every chance at winning. The Koffing effortlessly hacked up a glob of grotesque black liquid, receiving a unified gag from the bystanders, which proceeded to obscure the Growlithe's vision as it collided with its face. While the Pokémon tried to shake itself clean, the poison balloon tackled it from the side, knocking the dog unconscious.

"I win," The boy stated the obvious in his Walrein cry of a voice.

"So what?" She spat back, taking the others by surprise. She didn't look like the type to get so angry. Never judge a book by its cover, as they say. "You may have won, but you still have no talent! You just think you do,"

He dismissed the comment with a sly chuckle. "Your opinion means nothing to me, because I have what it takes to win. See you around," To their relief, he stalked off deeper into the forest without acknowledging any arrival of the others, his Pokémon close behind.

"What a douche," Pearce muttered. Mable grunted in agreement.

"So you know him?" The girl was standing behind them now, her poor Growlithe whimpering as it lay in her arms.

"I wish we didn't." Lux replied bitterly. "Believe me, I wish he didn't exist,"

"I hear ya, girl," the other trainer said with sass. "I'm Jezebelle, by the way. And this is Luna," she indicated her injured companion.

"I'm Lux. That's Pearce, Erika, and Mable," the dark-haired girl indicated them all with a point of her finger.

"And this is Belgabad!" Erika all but thrust her Butterfree into Jezebelle's face, causing her to back away awkwardly with a giggle.

"Well, it's nice meeting y'all." Jezebelle said after clearing her throat. She didn't have an accent, it was just easier than saying "you all" and less awkward than "you guys" in some situations.

"So, Jezebelle, where are you from?" Mable inquired.

"Oh, I'm from Cinnabar Island," everyone's jaw dropped.

Cinnabar Island was the volcanic island at the intersection of Routes 20 and 21, the southernmost area of Kanto. It was home to many fire-type Pokémon as well as a Pokémon gym. The island, being an island, was only accessible by boat or water Pokémon that can carry humans, like the rare Lapras. Some people did use bird Pokémon like Pidgeot or Fearow, but it was popular to take the ocean path from Fuchsia City in order to see the Seafoam Islands located at the midpoint of Route 20. They were a popular tourist destination as well as one of Kanto's major honeymoon hotspots. Those who wanted a direct trip to Cinnabar left from Pallet Town.

"How long have you been traveling?" Pearce asked after a long and awkward silence. Jezebelle took a moment to think.

"I guess about 2 and a half months. I've been prancing around, going here and there," Luna let out another whimper, bringing everyone's attention back to the injured Pokémon. "I was on my way to Saffron City when I ran into that bitch. Now I guess I need to head back to Cerulean so Nurse Joy can take care of Luna," The teenager let out a sigh of despair.

Pearce thought for a moment, and then let out an "Aha!" before turning to Mable. "Here, I need you to hold this," His friend gave a befuddled look, but took the egg from him. With that out of the boy proceeded to open his backpack. After a moment of digging he produced a package of wet wipes, a bottle of rubbing alcohol, a wad of cotton, and a bundle of gauze. "Let me see Luna," he asked Jezebelle. She pulled back a bit, arms shielding her Pokémon, but she soon dropped her guard and allowed Pearce access to the injured puppy. He pulled out one of the wet wipes and brought it to Luna's face, and she quickly let out a whine of protest. After struggling for a few seconds and discovering there was no escape, she gave in. Gently, Pearce wiped away the black sludge from the fire-type's eyes. Two wet wipes and a foot of gauze later, after the wounds were cleaned of course, Luna was all taken care of.

"Wow," Jezebelle remarked, eyes wide with bewilderment. "Good to know there's a doctor in the group," with a smile, she shifted her gaze to the egg, which was back in Pearce's arms. The smile was replaced with another puzzled look. "Where did you get that egg?"

"Oh, we found it," the redhead answered hesitantly. She was acting like they had done something horrible. He looked at his friends, who gave him the okay to tell her. "When we were on our way from Pewter City to Cerulean. The entrance to Mt. Moon was blocked by a rockslide so we had to climb over. There was a cave up there and we took shelter for a night. The egg was in the back,"

The curly haired girl's eyes grew wider. "That doesn't make much sense, minus the cave part. Usually these Pokémon are only in warm climates, like Cinnabar's volcano," she was examining the orange egg much closer now, as if it was evidence left at a crime scene. "But there's no mistaking it," she pulled back, acceptance of the egg's type hitting her like a Mega Punch. "We see them a lot in Cinnabar. That's a Charmander egg,"

Pearce was assaulted with conflicting emotions. The most prominent was excitement, but there was also disappointment. He was bubbling with joy, but confronting that was fear. He couldn't wait to be the proud trainer of a Charmander, but he wished he didn't know what it was so he could be surprised when it hatched. The thought of hatching a Charmander elated him, but he wondered now where its mother might be. It was most likely a Charizard. Those were ferocious flying creatures that breathed intense flames. No doubt she had come back to her cave and discovered her egg missing. She could be scouring Kanto, incinerating everything in sight until she finds her baby. The thought made Pearce shudder.

Well, there was no use worrying about that. For all they knew the egg could have been abandoned by a trainer who was too impatient to wait for it to hatch. It was in good hands and that's all that mattered.

"So Jezebelle, how long have you and Luna been together?" As the group continued through the forest of Route 5 to Saffron City, seeing as it was a common destination and it was logical, Erika probed for information. Of course asking it like that made it seem like the two were a couple rather than a Pokémon and its trainer. "And what have you been doing all this time?"

"Oh, well I've had Luna since I was about nine years old, so about seven years." Jezebelle smiled as she reminisced. "She was _really _a puppy back then! My father's Arcanine laid an egg and there was Luna!" The Pokémon barked at her name. Her trainer smiled and gave her fur a ruffle. "As to what I've been doing, I've just been traveling around. Oh but I've been _so lucky_ on my journey!" She stopped and set Luna onto the ground. The girl opened the front pocket of her backpack and produced a black velvet drawstring pouch. Opening the pouch revealed a plethora of stones.

"Those are evolution stones!" Lux exclaimed. "There must be at least two dozen!"

Jezebelle counted them off on her fingers. "Actually, if I remember right, there are forty in there. I've just found them lying about. You guys can take some if you want,"

The friends, as they considered Jezebelle to be one of, sat down and laid out the contents of the pouch. There were eight Leaf Stones, eight Fire Stones, eight Water Stones, eight Moon Stones, and eight Thunder Stones. All of them took one of each, although so far only Pearce and Mable could use any of them. Staryu would become Starmie with the Water Stone and Pikachu would become Raichu. Besides, none of them would use a stone without their Pokémon's consent. "Most of them I won from battles, but the rest I've just found lying about," Jezebelle said with glee. "I'm most excited about the Fire Stones, but I only need one of those. Luna and I made a pact that Christmas morning, the best day _ever_ for her to hatch, that I would let her evolve when she was ready,"

Pearce thought that was a good idea, and judging by the look on her face Mable thought the same thing. As if they were telekinetically linked both trainers brought out their Pokémon that would require a stone to evolve. After a few minutes of talking, and calming the Pokémons' fear after seeing the stones, it was agreed that they would not evolve until ready. "Return!" Pearce called Burst back into its Pokéball, but as he reached to put it back in his pocket it flung back open, the Staryu happily beside him. "Huh? Burst, return!" Again he called his Pokémon back, and again it refused to be contained. The process repeated itself twice more until finally the boy gave up and allowed the star Pokémon to stay outside with them. Mable decided of her own accord to keep Chubee out, as many trainers carried Pikachu on their shoulders anyway.

Another four hours later the quintet encountered a road sign. "_Forty-seven miles south to Saffron City_." They all groaned. It would take at least another day to get there, and that was if they didn't stop to rest. The sun was already beginning to set. It seemed all too early until Erika told them it was close to 8 o' clock. She had been the only one of the smart enough to bring along a watch, and Pearce made a note to buy one at the soonest possible moment. They decided to just settle down for the day and continue walking in the morning. With any luck it would only take another day for them to reach their destination, but it was unlikely. Still without sleeping bags, another item to buy when available, everyone got as comfortable as they could and slept.

* * *

_Poke!_

Pearce shifted uncomfortably as an appendage nudged him. In his sleepy state he assumed it was Burst tossing in its own sleep.

_Prod!_

Now he was annoyed. "Burst, stop poking me," he muttered as he opened his eyes. The moon, barely a sliver in the sky as it waxed into a new cycle, provided enough light for him to see it wasn't Burt poking him. The Staryu was still asleep beside him, as far as he could tell without a face on the Pokémon. To his right he could see a wavering illuminated space. Upon turning he realized it was a flame. Attached to the flame, or rather what the flame was attached to was a tail, which led to a Charmander.

"Char!" The orange lizard cried out. Pearce studied her up and down, taking in the orange skin and creamy belly. In the center of her tail was a single red band, unusual for a Charmander. Usually they were just an orangey red color, but of course not every Pokémon was the same.

"My name's Pearce, an I think I'll call you Ermantus! Welcome to the team, and to the world!" The Pokémon let out a happy cry as the boy greeted her as well as gave her a name.

Looking around, Pearce noticed that Erika had disappeared. Being the worrisome person he was, he decided to get up and try to locate the dark haired girl. The young and newly hatched Ermantus didn't much like the idea of being without her trainer, so she made her way after him. It didn't take long for her to catch up. Pearce smiled as she tugged at his pants leg and hoisted her into the air, wary of the flame on her tail as he searched for his friend.

Within minutes he nearly ran right into her. The only thing that saved them from collision was Erika's notice of Ermantus' flame. "Aw, the egg hatched!" She remarked. "She's so cute!" The sight of another person sent a wave of shock through the hatchling, making the nervous thing shake.

"It's okay, Ermantus," Pearce comforted. "This is Erika. She's a friend,"

"Ermantus? That's a cool name!" Erika smiled. The Charmander seemed more relaxed when she realized the girl knew her name, and even allowed for her head to be pat.

"By the way, Erika, what are you doing out here so late?" Pearce may not have had a watch, but he guessed it was somewhere around 1:30 in the morning.

Rather than answer the girl gave an exaggerated yawn. "You know, Pearce, I'm really tired. I'll tell you later, when the sun is up," she was avoiding the question, of course. But Pearce decided not to argue. Instead they headed back to their makeshift campsite where they quickly drifted back into the realm of dreams.

The morning had been full of excitement. Ermantus was crowded for a while as everyone admired her cuteness and the awe of a newly hatched Pokémon. Erika's news managed to cause even more thrills. It turned out that she had been out looking for Pokémon and managed to catch a Bulbasaur, a teal grass-poison-type with red eyes and a giant green bulb on its back, which she named Michi. Time seemed to fly and so did the miles as they all spent the day smiling and laughing their way down the path.

"Hello, pests," a pair of voices stopped them in their tracks. It was clear who was behind them, and turning around only made it more despairing. Marianna and Sanders were back to cause more trouble, and they were still sporting the all-white look.

"What do _you_ want?" Lux growled, clearly still angry about her defeat on Mt. Moon.

"We've come to offer a high-stakes battle," Sanders had a sinister, and very mischievous, tone in his voice.

"We're willing to pay you $1,000 if you beat us," Marianna continued, the same tone in her own voice.

"But, should you lose…" Sanders went on.

"We take your precious Charmander," Marianna finished with a flip of her green hair.

"No way!" Pearce shouted! "You'll never take her, or any of our Pokémon! Just who do you think you are, anyway?"

"We _know_ we're members of Team Rocket!" The pair smirked at their shocked faces. "That's right, kiddies. Team Rocket is rising again, and with a vengeance! Besides, I think you're bound to agree once you see _this!_" They stepped aside, revealing a panic-stricken Misty, ropes tied around her. "We'll let her go if you battle with us, win or lose!"

Anger boiled up inside of Pearce. No one had the right to do anything like this, and he wasn't going to let the two of them get away with it. "Erika, this time it's you and me!" He shouted, taking them all by surprise with the fury in his voice. "Let's send these fuckers packing!" Gizmo was out onto what would be the battlefield. Erika decided to bring Michi into action. Sanders, rather than choose his Sentret, went with Krabby, a red and white crab, while Marianna went with a purple fluff ball with antennae and red eyes; it was a Venonat.

"Michi, Razor Leaf!" Erika started the battle. With no direct target, the bulbous creature sent razor sharp leaves flying all across the battlefield. Venonat and Krabby were both bombarded, and being a water-type the crab took a lot of damage. A few stray leaves went after the trainers, who dodged them as if they were nothing at all.

"Venonat, Psybeam!" Marianna struck one of her theatric poses as she called out the attack. The bug emitted a beam of psychic waves towards Gizmo. Since it's a steel-type, the move did little more than make it angry.

"Metal Sound!" Pearce ordered, and at once the magnetic Pokémon let out a horrible sound like metal scraping on concrete. All of them cringed, except of course Gizmo. "Now use Electro Ball on Krabby!" Pearce had to shout at the top of his lungs for the Pokémon to hear him over its terrible noise. Rather than cease entirely, the attack subsided, only to be overlapped with the electrical orb flying towards Sanders' Pokémon. While both were trying to regain their senses, Krabby was electrocuted violently and down for the count, not a single attack thrown out.

"Krabby! Return!" Sanders growled in anger and frustration. He turned to Marianna and gave a slight nod, which she returned. It was obvious something was about to go down, and Pearce didn't like it.

"Venonat, Stun Spore!"

"Michi, Vine Whip!" Both attacks were called simultaneously, and the following moments were a blur. Venonat was wrapped by Michi's vines but was able to shake its body violently, releasing a cloud of yellow dust. The dust caused immediate paralysis for not only Michi but also everyone, Pokémon included, on that side of the battlefield.

"Venonat, return!" The bug was called back into its Pokéball. The trainers grunted with effort as they struggled to move, but it was futile.

The sinister pair made their way over to the teens, pushing the Cerulean Gym Leader along with them and laughing menacingly all the while. "Go join your little friends!" Marianna mocked as she shoved Misty towards the group.

"We win, and I believe you owe us one Charmander," Sanders walked over and snatched the paralyzed fire-type lizard. "See ya later!" He was boastful as he ended the dreadful encounter. Both he and Marianna pulled out black orbs and threw them on the ground, creating a thick black haze. Once it cleared, the pair was gone, the newly hatched Ermantus along with them.

To be continued…


	10. Psychic Meltdown

Psychic Meltdown

The doors to the Pokémon Center opened and closed. Erika and her Bulbasaur, Michi, walked through them, the girl carrying a can of soda with a bendy straw and the Pokémon using a vine to carry a bottle of water, though most of it seemed to have been used on the bulb growing on his back. Lux and Mable decided it was the day they would take on Sabrina, Saffron City's Gym Leader. Rumor had it she used telepathy to communicate with her psychic Pokémon and that she even possessed the gift of telekinesis. The two had been gone for about three hours.

Pearce just sat at a table, moping. It had been a week since they arrived in Saffron City, two days since Jezebelle decided to head west to Celadon City, nine days since their encounter with Marianna and Sanders, members of the nefarious and long thought to be extinguished Team Rocket. They had stolen Pearce's newly hatched Charmander, Ermantus, after paralyzing the group. Luckily Misty, the Cerulean City Gym Leader whom the pair had kidnapped as a bargaining tool, was able to reach one of her water Pokémon to wash away the Stun Spore.

During their time in the city, Erika's Pidgey, Tuft, had been able to work up furious winds, Zubo, Lux's Ditto, was finally able to perfect transformations and Riddle, her Squirtle, was becoming more focused and mature while Mable's Pikachu, Chubee, slowly became more obedient. All of this was due to the onslaught of trainers looking for battles in Saffron's golden streets. Many of them were young and had barely taken a few steps out their houses, all of which were some shade of yellow or another, but there was the occasional thug or adult vying to prove him or herself. Because of these rambunctious trainers, all of their Pokémon were becoming stronger. All of them except Pearce's own Burst and Gizmo, Staryu and Magneton respectively.

For the days after the incident with Team Rocket, Pearce did little more than mope. He never left the Pokémon Center, not even when Burst or any of his friends begged him or tried to persuade him. They often had to take his Pokémon out for him so they could exercise. Nurse Joy had to force him to eat anything at all, though he just wanted to sleep and be depressed. The Pokémon nurse was sympathetic when they explained why he was in that state, but she was still strict whenever it came to health.

Despite his somber look, Erika smiled when she saw him. "Well, look who decided to get out of bed," she teased.

"Hey Erika," his voice was flat and void of all emotion. Feeling helpful, Michi threw some of his water onto the boy's face. He merely sighed.

Erika patted her Pokémon on the head. "It was a good try, Michi," the plant-animal hybrid was not entirely pleased, but enjoyed the praise.

"Kyeeah…" Burst sounded worried as it looked at its trainer, unresponsive to any poke or prod.

"That's _it_, young man!" Nurse Joy slammed her hands onto the table, taking everyone by surprise and causing Pearce to raise his head off the table. "If you won't get out of this Pokémon Center of your own free will, then maybe a battle will change your mind! If I win, you go out and take a walk, get some air and sunlight! You're paler than my apron!" The pink haired nurse's yelling was attracting a lot of attention from the hospital's patrons, and the thought of seeing her battle was enticing. "But if you win, you can sit here cooped up and mope as your muscles slowly deteriorate and grow weak from lack of use!" Pearce only stared at her, for the first time since losing his Charmander showing some form of emotion on his face: intrigue. The thought of battling Nurse Joy, whose entire family was devoted to healing Pokémon and not hurting them, was inviting and odd. He looked down at Burst, who had been poking him repeatedly since the pink-haired woman had mentioned the battle. Clearly the star Pokémon wanted to take the challenge, and a trainer had to take in account the opinions of their Pokémon.

"Alright," Pearce's voice was still lacking a lot of emotion, but his actions gave off an eager and rejuvenated vibe. Nurse Joy smiled with a bit of cockiness and called over a Chansey. Chansey were the helping hands of every Pokémon Center. They were ovular pink Pokémon with an egg pouch on their stomach. Their job was to help the Nurse Joys take care of injured Pokémon and help nurse them back to health.

"Chansey, prepare a spot for this Staryu okay?" The Pokémon bounded away eagerly.

Nurse Joy turned to survey the lobby. "You there!" She pointed to a burly man in a leather jacket, jeans, and a pair of shades. "Do me a favor and battle this kid! He's giving me hell," Pearce made a confused remark, and clearly Nurse Joy heard it. "You didn't think _I_ would battle you, did you? No, as a nurse it is my sworn duty to heal Pokémon, not harm them. Good luck! And take it outside!"

Now feeling far less than eager, Pearce faced his opponent outside. The man appeared older than he had indoors, but despite his snow-white mustache and receding hairline he still had energy aplenty. His Pokémon was energetic, too: Jolteon, the lightning Pokémon. Jolteon had spiny yellow fur with a spiny white collar. They had incredible speed and strong electric attacks. Not good for Burst.

"Let's get this over with!" The man spoke with a gruff voice. "I have a life, ya know!" Pearce brushed the man's attitude off. He wasn't in the mood for it.

"Water Gun," he was barely audible, but Burst responded enthusiastically. A jet of water shot from the star Pokémon.

"Quick Attack, Jolteon!" The Pokémon was off in a flash, easily avoiding the water. The feint movements of his foe brought Pearce into a sense of awe. Never had he seen a Pokémon move like that. While distracted he failed to hear the man order another attack. The agile creature began pummeling his Staryu with an onslaught of kicks.

"Bubblebeam!" Though he was back from the mundane world of loss, his call for attack was in vain. Burst couldn't do anything against the kicks the lightning Pokémon brought to the table.

"Finish with Thundershock!" The hairs on Jolteon's body stood up as electricity surged through them. With a cry, bolts of yellow lightning rocketed towards the water Pokémon. The battle was done.

The red haired boy stood motionless. It took a moment for things to sink in. As soon as they did, he ran towards his defeated companion. "Burst!" He cradled the brown star in his arms. Its red gem core was blinking rapidly. Pearce managed a smile; at least his Pokémon would be fine after some rest. "Let's get you inside,"

"Not so fast, kid!" The man stood over him, his own Pokémon scowling. "We battled, you lost. Pay up," though there was never any bet placed by either party, Pearce wanted nothing more than to get this man out of his face. He gave off the strong odor of cigarettes and exhaust. Either the man was a mechanic, or in some motorcycle gang. Whichever it was, pleasant they generally were not. The boy reached in his pocket and pulled out a twenty. As soon as he looked at the bill it was snatched from his grip. "I guess this'll do," the man stuffed the money into his jacket. "Pleasure battling with ya," the man and his Pokémon were off, snickering every step they took.

"Well, enjoy the fresh air!" Since he had reentered the Pokémon Center, Pearce had been constantly reminded by Nurse Joy of the conditions of which the battle was held. Erika, who had stayed inside, was being forced to go out along with him. Michi was still out of his Pokéball and Pearce decided to take Gizmo out. It felt odd not having a Pokémon in the open along with him.

"I'm glad to see you out of your funk," Erika said with relief. "Good to have ya back, bruh!" She slugged her friend in the shoulder. It wasn't too hard a hit, but she had a tendency to accidentally injure those around her. Naturally, Pearce flinched at the action. Once composed he let out a despairing sigh. "Still not completely back, huh?"

The blue-eyed boy lifted his head towards the sky, the clouds no more than wisps of fluff randomly placed among the blue canvas. "I just wonder what they're doing to her,"

His friend threw an arm over his shoulders. "She's a tough little Charmander, Pearce. No matter what they throw at her, she'll be able to handle it. Don't underestimate that young Pokémon," the grin on her face showed how confident she was in her words. "Now come on. Let's get some grub. It's almost one o' clock!"

Saffron, being Kanto's largest city, despite having a surprising lack of motor vehicles, had a large quantity of eating establishments amidst its hues of gold. They ranged from snack shacks to five stars. A few blocks away from the Pokémon Center they discovered Mr. Mime's Pizza. It was a small mustard-yellow brick building with a sign depicting the odd, gangly, clownish looking Pokémon wearing an apron and chef's hat on the sidewalk. Upon entering the duo discovered it to be deserted, save the man and woman behind the cash register. Seeing the presence of potential customers, the man and woman's expressions changed from hopeless to ecstatic.

"Welcome to Mr. Mime's Pizza!" The man greeted them with a booming, charismatic voice. He was a muscular man with buzzed hazel hair, giving him an intimidating appearance. But his amber eyes were warm and gentle. "My name's Randy! You kids hungry? Our pizza is made right when you order so it's always hot and fresh!"

"Randy, don't push them," the woman giggled as she made her way to him. She was petite with flowing blonde hair and enchanting green eyes. "I apologize for my husband's overzealous attitude. The lunch rush completely passed us by. You're our first customers of the day! My name is Alisha. Please, have a seat and I'll be right with you," with a smile the couple left through a door behind the register.

"I don't get why nobody has come here today," Pearce mused as they were awaiting food, trying to get his mind off of depressing matters. Gizmo merely buzzed as if to say it had no opinion on the matter. "I mean Randy and Alisha seem like nice people. And the atmosphere in this place is great," The walls were painted white with blue and pink polka dots in varying shades and sizes. Each table resembled a large pizza dish and the chairs were old propane tanks painted to look like Exeggcute. It was like a pizza circus.

"It could be the slow-ass service," Erika grumbled as she stirred the straw in her glass of Dr. Pepper. Michi made a noise that sounded like a sort of agreement to his trainer's remark. "I'm so hungry!" Just as she banged her head on the table, their pizza arrived. It was just cheese due to the fact they couldn't agree on toppings. At the scent of delicious food her head sprang up and she let out a sigh of pleasure. "Thank you!" She exclaimed quite ferociously.

Randy let out a hearty laugh. "Sorry for the wait, kids," he set down the pizza on their table. "I hope you think it was worth it! Let me or my wife know if you need anything else!" Once again he left through the door behind the cash register.

The food was indeed worth the long wait. The crust was soft, buttery, and flaky all without losing the stability and feel of true pizza crust. The sauce was smooth and tangy with an underlying sweetness. Probably the best part was the cheese. It was creamy and thick, pulling apart easily but not coming off the pizza all at once. Both teens tried to savor each bite but in the end couldn't stop themselves from devouring the entire dish. Once they had finished washing it down with iced tea and Dr. Pepper they went to pay. It came to be just twenty dollars even. Adding the five-dollar tip left on the table their funds were now $445.19.

With several thanks to the couple and invitations to come back from Alisha, they headed back to the Pokémon Center in the hopes that Pearce had been gone long enough to satisfy Nurse Joy. Along the way they stopped at a convenience store in order to kill time and allow Pearce to buy a watch for only a dollar. It was cheap but functioned and was in good condition.

Nurse Joy was pleased with the hour and forty-five minutes the boy had been gone. Burst was back to perfect health and glad to be back with its trainer, which was wonderful considering the injuries it had sustained during the battle. With nothing better to do the black-haired girl suggested they sit on a couch and await the return of their friends. It was amazing they weren't back already, considering it had been close to five hours since they left.

"I hope they didn't lose. We need to get out of here. The yellow is really getting to me," Erika griped as she called her Bulbasaur back into his Pokéball. Pearce did the same with his Magneton. Burst would be enough at the moment, although not much was likely to happen in a Pokémon Center. "Of course, we still haven't decided where to go next,"

"We can hit Vermillion City," Pearce suggested. "It's kinda out of the way of the other cities. That way we could get it over with so we wouldn't have to figure it out later," Erika opened her mouth to respond, but she stopped as the television let out an alarm only to be used in times of disaster striking the Kanto region. While there was always the occasional escaped convict or Pokémon rampage reported on the news, it was rare for something to be severe enough for the alarm to sound.

With all eyes in the Pokémon Center turned towards the sound, a woman with white hair and jade eyes appeared on the screen. She was standing on a ridge overlooking what seemed to be a fiery inferno. Erika and Pearce only looked at each other in panic. They knew where the reporter was.

"We're bringing you live coverage outside Pewter City where a mysterious white aircraft targeted intense flames down below," it cut to another angle where the flames were clearer as they licked up the buildings and plants around them. "Trainers new and experienced, including the Pewter City Gym Leader Brock, are doing everything they can to douse the flames with help from their Pokémon. Those with large flight enabled Pokémon are working feverishly to evacuate those in greatest danger such as the elderly and young children along with their families and caretakers," Flocks of Pidgeot, Fearow and even a few Dragonite could be seen whisking citizens away to safety while several Onix, Rhydon, Vaporeon, Blastoise, and other ground or water types were being told where to focus their attacks by their trainers. Even those without Pokémon were helping with water hoses and large buckets.

The reporter was back on. "As of now, the death toll is at 23. The perpetrators of this horrendous attack have identified themselves as the infamous crime syndicate Team Rocket, a group thought to have broken up years ago. Police are not sure if this is a hoax or if the group really has come back after all this time. We will bring you updates as they arrive," the screen went black. All patrons of the Pokémon Center were silent. By the time the reporter had finished, Erika and Pearce were sitting back down. It was too much to see their hometown being engulfed by fire, not to mention the uncertainty of the state their families were in. Pearce seemed to be taking it worse.

"You heard what they said, didn't you?" He asked his friend. His words were shaky but there was a sharp edge to them. "They're using her, and who knows how many other people's Pokémon. What's everyone doing about it? Nothing. Not a damn thing,"

"Pearce, what is there that _you_ can do about it?" Erika was trying not to upset him but it was clear where his mind was going. "You're seventeen, hardly a month into your journey, and not a very experienced trainer," she was staring right into his eyes with a stern expression. "We're not talking about some youngster with a big head. This is _Team Rocket_! They're comprised of ruthless criminals with no rules who aren't afraid to take extreme measures to get what they want. You and I both know that had it been necessary, Marianna and Sanders would have _killed us_! We can't go after these people. No matter how badly they've wronged us,"

As Erika finished speaking, the doors to the Pokémon Center slid open. Since it was so quiet within the room it was easy to hear and caught the attention of all who were present. A Pokémon floated into the lobby. It had a green hair-like structure that began between its red eyes and curved above its shoulders. There was a pink fin-like horn that protruded from the center of its chest and back. It had green arms and what seemed to be a white ball gown with white legs underneath. The Pokémon did little more than levitate inside the door. A woman with hair the color of a Ditto, eyes of the same color, and styled in the same fashion as the Pokémon's followed suit. She was dressed in a white suit with a vest and her face seemed void of all emotions. Her head turned directly towards Erika and Pearce.

"You would be wise to listen to your friend, boy," the woman's voice was flat and monotonous. She and her Pokémon advanced as she continued speaking. "We are not to be messed with. And now you will find out what happens when you cross our path, as will your friends once we find them," without any form of command from its trainer, the Pokémon raised a hand towards the three of them. Before either the teens or the Staryu could react they were all pinned against a wall. The bystanders merely watched as the attack took place.

The Team Rocket woman reached her right hand into her vest. As she began pulling it back out, her Pokémon took a sharp intake of breath, causing her to stop. With one look at the creature, she relaxed her arm by her side. "We will meet again, children. Gardevoir, quickly," the Gardevoir released its psychic hold on Pearce, Erika, and Burst, causing them to fall to the ground. As Pearce looked up he saw the two vanish in a glow of multicolor light.

It was at that time three figures appeared in the Pokémon Center in white light. They were Lux, Mable, and the Gym Leader Sabrina. The leader cursed under her breath. "I'm sorry I cut our battle short. But now I have business to attend to," she reached into her pocket and pulled out two round, yellow badges with raised edges. "Here, to make up for not being able to finish our battles, I give you both the Marsh Badge," as both friends placed the badges in their slots, Sabrina vanished the same way she had appeared, leaving everyone with unanswered questions.

To be continued…


	11. Dangerous Games

Dangerous Games

"I know it's tough, but we can't do anything about it," Erika, taking a sensible role for the second time in one day, told her no-longer panicking friends Lux and Mable. The two had not taken lightly the fact that fierce flames had ravaged their hometown and there was no way to contact their families. It was understandable, but panicking would get nothing done. "We just have to get on with our journey and let the people back home handle it,"

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Mable agreed, though she was still desperate to find out what condition her family was in, as they all were. Chubee nuzzled her face into the Hispanic girl's chest, making her smile. It was amazing how much the electric mouse had bonded with her trainer in such a short time. Everyone thought so; especially given the fact the Pikachu had evaded capture countless times.

Lux nodded. "So now we need to decide where to go next," Erika shook her head, creating a confused look on the dark-skinned girl's face.

"You need to tell us what happened at the gym first! You were gone practically all day!" Once Erika demanded answers, it was impossible to change the subject successfully. So there was no point in arguing with her at all. "Why weren't you able to finish one match in all that time?"

The two girls took turns telling the story of their adventure in the Saffron City gym. Naturally when one of them left something out the other would interject, throwing everybody off. They explained the warp tiles and the warp path to Sabrina that took them hours to figure out. Eventually it came to Lux's battle against Sabrina, which was a three-on-three match that hardly got started. "And then we teleported here using her portable teleportation device," Lux ended the tale.

"That's intense!" was Erika's only response to her friends. "Anyway, now that we know what happened we can move on to our next destination. Pearce had an idea earlier about where we should go, and now that the interruptions are done I think it's time we hear it," As she turned to face her redheaded friend, her face quickly went from joy to sympathy. "Pearce, I know you're upset, but we have to move on. There's nothing we can do about it right now,"

"Like hell there isn't, Erika!" the boy snapped as he stood up, causing many of the Center's patrons to turn and look at the commotion, and making Burst jump back. "We can fight! We can find Team Rocket and make them pay for what they've done! We can _save her_!" At this point his voice was at a very high level, and all eyes were focused on the group of four.

"Pearce, calm down," Mable prompted her friend, "You're making a scene,"

Pearce ignored her. "We can't sit around doing nothing, going about our business while they force those Pokémon to do their bidding! They could be _torturing_ them for all we know!" He was close to tears.

"You think I don't know that?" Erika was now standing as well, "You think I'm unaware of the danger those Pokémon are in, Ermantus included? I would love nothing more than to go in there and kick their asses for what they've done! But _we can't_, Pearce!"

"And why not?"

"We're outnumbered, out skilled, and that's just the beginning," her voice was calmer now, but still firm as she tried talking sense into the boy, "They've shown how ruthless they can be, not just with what they did to Pewter but by sending someone to assassinate us! I've reminded you _twice_ how unprepared we are!"

Pearce looked at her, then scanned over to Lux and Mable, and back to Erika, tears still in his eyes. "You don't understand," he said quietly, his voice shaking, "None of you understand," he ran through the Pokémon Center doors, his Staryu hurrying behind, not wanting to abandon its trainer. His friends were calling out to him as he ran outside, but he ignored them as the tears streamed down his face.

* * *

It was well past 5:30 by the time Pearce and Burst stopped to rest. They were somewhere on Route 7, which connected Saffron City with Celadon. Pearce wasn't sure why he was going to Celadon; rather, he wasn't confident in his reasoning. There were stories of an old Team Rocket hideout in Celadon City's Game Corner. It had been shut down years ago, but that's what they said about Team Rocket as a whole. With any luck, Pearce would be able to find it up and running, or at least with some clues about where they were now.

"Hey, kid, I'm talking to you," Pearce started as the scratchy voice dragged him from his thoughts. Looking up he saw a man with brown hair and blue eyes staring at him. He would have told the man to buzz off or just ignored him altogether had it not been for one thing: the man was dressed in a white jumpsuit.

"Kid," the man repeated, "We can do this the easy way or the hard way," he had a Pokéball primed and ready in his hand. "I'm not gonna say it again: hand over your Pokémon. Now,"

Pearce stood up to face him, anger blazing in his blue eyes. Without a word, he took out Gizmo's Pokéball and sent the Magneton out. "There is no way in hell you're getting my Pokémon,"

The man grinned wickedly. "Looks like it's the hard way, then," With a grunt, he threw the Pokéball into the air, releasing a Beedrill. It looked strong, but not well cared for. Its yellow body wasn't nearly as vibrant as most Beedrill the boy had seen. Nevertheless, it had a fierce intensity in its red eyes. "Use Twineedle!"

The bee Pokémon charged at Gizmo, arm-needles ready for attack. "Dodge, and use Thundershock!" Pearce called out. His Magneton quickly avoided the attack and proceeded to send out a bolt of bright yellow electricity, striking the bug Pokémon down instantly.

"My Beedrill!" the man cried out in frustration before calling the fainted creature back in its ball. "I'll make you regret this, you little brat!" As he said this, the man began running towards Pearce, clearly ready to get physical.

"Tackle!" The magnet Pokémon slammed into its trainer's attacker, knocking him to the ground. As the man lay in the grass clutching his chest, which Pearce assumed meant the attack damaged his ribs, the boy walked over to the Team Rocket member. "Now, we can do this the easy way or the hard way,"

* * *

"Water Gun," Burst let out a jet of water, aimed at the Rocket's face. He woke with a jolt, screaming from the water's pressure on his recently blackened eye. The fact he was tied to a tree may have startled him as well. "That's enough, Burst," the Staryu ceased its attack.

Pearce didn't know what time it was. It was nighttime, obviously, but he couldn't see the moon through the trees he brought the man into. He didn't bother looking at his watch; he wouldn't be able to see what it said, anyway. Besides, there were more pressing matters.

"What is the meaning of this?" demanded the Rocket, struggling to escape his binds. "Let me go!"

"I'm afraid I can't do that," Pearce replied calmly, "That is, not until I get some information from you,"

"Go to hell, kid," the Rocket spat, "You aren't getting anything from me. You have no idea who you're dealing with,"

"Oh I know _exactly_ who I'm dealing with," the boy corrected, a dark look in his eyes, "The question here is: do you?"

"You don't scare me, brat. So I repeat: Go. To. Hell,"

Pearce smirked at this. He anticipated resistance from the Team Rocket member, and he had a few tricks up his sleeve. "I fixed up your Beedrill while you were unconscious," he told the man, which resulted in a startled expression from his captive. "Once I made sure it was healthy enough to defend itself, I let it go. The Pokéball is destroyed, which means you would be defenseless even if you weren't tied up,"

"I could still take you on," he hissed through gritted teeth.

"In your dreams," retorted Pearce, "I still have my Pokémon, and they've proven to be more than capable of taking care of you. Now, why don't you tell me what I want to know, and we'll see about maybe getting those ropes off you,"

The prisoner growled, extremely angered by the humiliation he was being put through by his captor. He was defeated in battle, knocked unconscious after that, tied up, without a Pokémon, and now he was being talked down to. All of this was the work of one lousy kid. The boy knew how much this angered the Rocket, and it made him smile to see it reflected in the villain's face.

Finally, the man hung his head, accepting defeat. "Alright, kid. What do you want?"

"Pearce?"

A familiar voice stopped him before he could speak. It couldn't be them. Not now. Not when he was so close to getting what he needed.

"Pearce? Are you out here?" Erika appeared from the trees. It was still dark, but Pearce could see well enough to know it was she; and she was alone, save Tuft, her Pidgey. Seeing him, the brown-haired girl smiled and ran towards him. "Pearce! There you are!"

"Hi, Erika," he muttered, making no effort to hide his displeasure at the interruption.

"What are you doing here?" she asked her friend after taking a minute to catch her breath. It was evident she had been searching for quite some time.

"I'll tell you what he's doing!" the Rocket shouted, reminding Pearce that he was even there.

"Shut the hell up," the boy demanded, more annoyed than he had been when Erika arrived, "I'm not through with you yet. Just sit tight, and let me deal with this, okay?" This made the Rocket back off, although he continued muttering to himself.

"Who is that?" Erika inquired, curiosity and concern in her voice, "He looks like…"

"Team Rocket," he cut her off, "He tried to take my Pokémon, I battled him, and here we are," the boy didn't feel like giving the detailed course of events to his friend, "Now what are you doing here? And where are Lux and Mable?"

"They're headedto Vermillion," she replied, "After we searched Saffron for you, we decided to split up. I told them about your idea to get Vermillion City out of the way and they went on ahead. We're supposed to meet up with them in Lavender Town in a few days. They'll be there after they win their badges. We were hoping one of us would run into you," her face showed genuine concern coupled with relief. It wasn't much of a shock, given the fact they were friends, but the two of them definitely left on a sour note.

"Well, we might be a little late getting there," Pearce told her, "Our friend here was about to give me some vital information," both teens turned to face the criminal, "Now, where is your hideout?"

The man laughed. "Seriously? You want to know where our hideout is?" He took a moment to compose himself before continuing, "Kid, there is no way in hell you'll be able to get inside. The security is crazy. You'd be dead before you got to the door!"

"Look, douche bag," Erika got right up to the man's face, annoyance present in her voice as well as eyes, "You creeps stole a Charmander from my friend here, and we plan on getting her back. So you're going to tell us where those Pokémon are, and you're going to tell us now. Otherwise you'll be in a world of pain unlike any you've experienced in your miserable life,"

Pearce was stunned. In the little time he had known Erika, he'd never seen her get so threatening with anybody. Of course she took the words right out of his mouth. He'd wanted to beat the man up until he felt the pain his organization caused him.

"Listen, girly, there's nothing you can do to make me reveal such sensitive information as that," the Rocket said with a smug grin, "So why don't you and your friend let me go and just forget about it,"

"Erika, step aside," the girl looked up, surprised at her friend's words. Griping angrily, she moved out of his way, "Gizmo, use Thundershock,"

To be continued…


	12. Behind Enemy Lines

Behind Enemy Lines

"I can't believe you, Pearce," Erika griped as the pair headed back to Saffron City.

"What?" he asked, an innocent look on his face, "I called off the attack when he agreed to tell us what we wanted to know,"

The girl scoffed, not saying another word. This made Pearce smile. There was really no reason for her to be angry with him over what he did. The Team Rocket member agreed to talk before Gizmo's Thundershock was even built up. The only pain Pearce caused him was before Erika arrived, and that was in the name of self-defense. Besides, it was necessary. These people played rough, so they had to play rough with them.

According to their ex-prisoner, the aircraft carrying the fire Pokémon was heading to the hideout on Route 8, which connected Saffron City and Lavender Town. The building was fairly large, but one had to trek through a small forest to reach it. It was really a stroke of luck that they were so close to the enemy; so close to the stolen Charmander.

That's what Pearce had to focus on. Ermantus, his baby, had been taken from him and used to wreak havoc on his hometown. Retrieving her was the most important thing for him to do. After that? Well, it would take a while, but Team Rocket would pay for what they'd done. Pearce would _personally_ see to it.

The next hour or so was filled with silent walking. The moon, no more than a claw in the sky, was almost directly above them as they made it through Saffron City. As they stood outside the city's gate, Pearce couldn't help wondering what dangers awaited them. Of course there would be strong Pokémon, but what else would they face? Were they really prepared? He decided they had to be. There was no turning back. They had a mission, and nothing short of death would stop Pearce from going through with it.

* * *

"Pearce, how exactly are we going to do this?" Erika whispered as they stared at the white building in front of them. A man and woman in white suits stood on either side of the large metal door, each with a gun and two Pokéballs donning their belts. They appeared to be the only guards outside, but they couldn't be too careful.

"We'll need to use our Pokémon, seeing as they're our only means of attack," a plan was forming in Pearce's mind, and it seemed like a good one. "Luck had better be on our side, because we're gonna need it. So, here's what we'll do,"

As the boy shared his plan, Erika's face showed approval and worry. Once he was finished, she exhaled sharply. As quietly as possible, she brought out Michi and Belgabad, as Tuft was still on her shoulder. She could only hope that the light from the Pokéballs hadn't alerted the guards. "Belgabad, Michi, I need you to use Sleep Powder. Tuft, use Gust to blow it that way," she cocked her head towards the entrance of the building.

With a nod, her Pokémon obeyed. As the blue dust clouded, Erika's Pidgey blew it towards the Team Rocket members. By the time they noticed the attack, they were out cold, asleep on the ground. The teens quickly ran towards them and dragged their unconscious bodies back to the bushes.

Within minutes both Pearce and Erika were dressed in the uniforms of Team Rocket. Despite having no experience, they decided to take the guns in case they needed them. As Erika called her Pokémon back in their balls, Pearce noticed the one major flaw in his plan.

"We can't walk in there inconspicuously if I've got a Staryu with me," he sighed with frustration, "It's not like I can hide it in my shirt,"

"I'm sure Burst wouldn't mind going in its Pokéball given the gravity of the situation," Erika pointed out.

"Kyeeah!" the brown star cried out, apparently showing its willingness to comply. Erika grinned with the satisfaction of being right.

With a smile, Pearce called Burst back into its Pokéball. "It won't be for long. I promise," his eyes met Erika's, "Let's do this!"

The white halls of the enemy's hideout were deserted, save the security cameras placed strategically. Expected, but not a threat. Pearce thought it likely the head of Team Rocket made sure to keep their existence within the higher ranks. After all, how embarrassing would it be to find out your boss was afraid of a few teenagers? Besides, it was almost inconceivable that they would have the balls to infiltrate the facility of Kanto's largest crime syndicate, especially after the display they put on in Pewter City.

The thought of what happened to his hometown made Pearce cringe as he walked those empty halls. Images of burning buildings and screaming civilians raced through his mind. It was another reason for him to fight them. The injustice done to those people and Pokémon would not go unpunished. He would see to that. These feelings of vengeance were almost terrifying to the boy. Sure, he'd been known to hold a grudge before, but he never thought of getting back at someone. He decided it was the severity of the wrongdoings and let it be. It was a logical conclusion, so it satisfied him.

"Hey, you two," a voice from behind called with authority. The two froze, Pearce beginning to sweat bullets. The woman made her way towards them. "Face me," they immediately obeyed. "Tell me, why are you not at your posts?"

"We're new recruits, ma'am," Erika responded coolly, "We just arrived and were told to find the area holding the airship in order to assist as needed," Pearce was amazed at how calm she was and how believable she sounded.

"Is that so," the lilac-haired woman seemed skeptical as she looked them over, "If that is the case, why are you armed?"

"Precautionary measure, ma'am," Pearce spoke up, hoping the quiver in his voice wouldn't be apparent, "We were given these weapons should there be any threats inside the building. These are dangerous times, as I'm sure you know," he wasn't sure how he managed to get his words out without sounding idiotic. He didn't even know where they had come from. All he could do was hope she believed them.

The woman smirked as she shifted her cerulean eyes back to Erika. "Why's he so nervous?" her tone was somewhat harsh and demeaning.

"No offense, ma'am," Erika answered after clearing her throat, "But you are rather intimidating,"

This made the woman chuckle. "I like your honesty, kid. You're going places in this organization. Just be sure not to be _too_ honest," she winked before directing her gaze back at Pearce. "You, young man, need to loosen up, at least around here. The ones you should be afraid of are at the tip-top of this organizational pyramid we call Team Rocket, and they just left," letting out a sigh of what Pearce could only interpret as relief, she continued, "Now then, you two are gonna want to continue down this hallway and take a left. There, you'll find a staircase that will take you to the second floor. Keep down that corridor and take the first right. You'll find a door which will lead you to the roof,"

"Understood, ma'am," the two said in unison. With an assertive nod, the woman walked off in the direction she arrived. The friends made their way down the hall, finding the staircase as the woman promised. Following her directions, they located the door with ease. The aircraft was on the other side, as they had hoped, but they were also met with a familiar face.

"Hello, children," the pink-haired woman greeted them in the same robotic voice as their last encounter. She immediately brought out a Pokémon. It was humanoid in appearance with a yellow body, pointed ears, brown armor-like structures on its chest and knees, and a large moustache. In each hand it held a silver spoon.

"Naomi, dear, do save some fun for me," a man with spiked, deep purple hair and eyes the same shade walked up beside her. "I must say, those suits look very nice on both of you. You'd fit in well around here," he tossed a Pokéball into the air, producing a large red spider with four purple-and-yellow striped legs, two identical protrusions on its back as well as a large horn on its head. "It's a shame we have to kill you,"

"You'll have to battle us first," Erika growled, quickly sending out Tuft.

Pearce decided to take the opportunity to run towards the aircraft. He had just passed the Team Rocket members when he was lifted into the air. Looking back, he noticed the woman, whom the man had called 'Naomi', staring at him. Her Alakazam's eyes were glowing blue and it had one arm extended towards him. "There is no use in trying, boy," she told him, her flat voice making it all the more menacing. Just then Erika's Pidgey rammed into the psychic Pokémon, breaking its hold on Pearce. Naomi turned towards the girl, though her face remained blank and expressionless.

"You and me, you pink bitch," spat the brown haired trainer; Tuft lowering himself onto her shoulder.

"If it is your desire to fall first, I see no problem complying," Naomi replied. The Alakazam jumped in front of her, ready for battle. "Austin, deal with the boy,"

Pearce was nearing the craft when the Ariados landed in front of him, blocking his path. "Think again," Austin chuckled vilely as he approached his Pokémon, "With one attack, my Ariados can end your life right here. That death can be attained quickly or slowly, depending on how I'm feeling,"

The boy clenched his teeth. He wasn't going down, not like this. "Fat chance," he retorted, sending out his Staryu, "Life or death, Burst. Let's make this one count," the Pokémon gave a cry of approval and readiness.

Austin smirked. "How sweet," he said acrimoniously, "Your Pokémon is willing to die with you. Night Shade, Ariados," the spider's horn glowed black and shot out a beam of black energy at the brown star.

"Dodge, and use Swift!" Burst jumped in the air, avoiding the attack. While airborne it unleashed a fury of stars from its red core. Ariados took a few hits, but they didn't seem to phase it much.

"Poison Sting," the spider opened its mouth, spouting purple darts at its opponent. The attack hit home, and Burst seemed to take a bit of damage. Luckily it didn't look as though it had been poisoned.

"Recover!" the Staryu's core began to glow as it took in light, and finally its entire body was emitting a pale pink glow. As the light faded, all trace of Burst's injuries went with it. "Now use Bubblebeam!"

"Poison Sting again,"

The bubbles and darts collided in the air, canceling one another out. Both trainers and their Pokémon stood motionless for a few moments, staring each other down. It seemed to Pearce that this battle would never end. The Ariados was strong and clearly well trained. The thought of losing to Team Rocket when he was so close to retrieving what was his made the boy sick.

"This ends now," Austin's voice was sinister yet calm. He opened his mouth to order an attack when his face grew surprised. Pearce turned around to see what had caught his foe's attention and was also taken aback. A bright light was coming from the other battle, and Erika's Pidgey seemed to be the source. Where the tiny bird Pokémon once hovered was a much larger bird. His head-crest was larger and now a reddish color. The plumage on his tail had elongated and had an alternating pattern of red and yellow feathers. Tuft had evolved into a Pidgeotto.

"Rapid Spin!" the call snapped Austin back into focus. Burst was spinning like a saw blade through the air. Before Ariados or its trainer could react, it was hit head-on. "Follow up with Water Gun!"

"Dodge it, Ariados!" the Pokémon was still trying to regain its focus and was therefore unable to avoid the forceful stream of water, knocking it back a few feet.

"Now Swift!" a barrage of stars pelted the disoriented long leg Pokémon, knocking it out cold.

"Worthless trash!" the Rocket growled as he called back his defeated Pokémon.

Pearce made a dash for the aircraft, making it inside. In the center of the room were two large white chairs facing the far wall, which housed a giant window. Below that was a control panel with three smaller white chairs. On either side of the room were large cylindrical capsules, five on the right, and six on the left. Each held a different fire type Pokémon found in the Kanto region. His eyes fell on the Charmander, and he immediately rushed towards her.

_Bang!_

Pearce felt a sharp pain in his left shoulder as he fell to his knees, shouting at its intensity. He tried to turn his head but it was much too painful. He began standing up, hoping to make it to his beloved Pokémon.

_Bang!_

He fell again, screaming once more. This time it was his right calf. He tried pulling himself towards her, unwilling to give in, but it was too much. He had run out of energy, and was losing blood. Footsteps made their way towards him, but he couldn't see to whom they belonged, although he guessed they were Austin's.

Another shot rang out, but Pearce felt nothing. He assumed it was Naomi, hoping she had ended it more quickly for Erika than Austin had for him. It was torture. He wasn't sure what they'd done to Burst, but he could hope it wasn't painful.

His vision was fading, and he could hear shouting in the background. He couldn't make out any specific words, but they sounded pissed off. The last thing he saw was a pair of white dress shoes, and then his world went black and silent.

To be continued…


	13. Tower of Bones

Tower of Bones

"Pearce, wake up,"

After a moment of struggling, Pearce opened his eyes. He was lying down, and standing above him were his parents, both with warm smiles on their faces. Confused, he sat up and looked around the room. It was familiar to him, but at the same time foreign. "Where am I?" he asked them.

His mom chuckled. "You're home, silly, in Pewter City,"

"What? How the hell is that possible?" Pearce rubbed his forehead. There was no sense in this at all. Pewter City was gone, wasn't it? He and Erika had just been battling members of Team Rocket. How could he possibly be in Pewter already?

"What do you mean, buddy?" his dad asked, exchanging a worried look with his wife.

"I just…" the boy was shaking his head.

"What is it?" his mother sat down on the bed, taking hold of her son's hand.

"Just a crazy dream, I guess," Pearce told her, squeezing her hand. "Nothing to worry about, mom," he gave her a reassuring smile.

His parents smiled in return. "Come down for breakfast when you're ready, okay?" she kissed his forehead before walking out of the room, followed by her husband who closed the door behind him.

With a stretch, Pearce climbed out of bed and began changing clothes. When he opened the door, he was met with a blazing inferno. Smoke started filling the room, stinging his eyes and throat. "Mom! Dad!" he cried out as he ran through the hall, coughing as he tried to breathe. He continued shouting for his parents as he made his way down the stairs.

As he neared the final step, his ankle twisted, causing him to fall. He tried to push himself up, screaming as he felt a sharp pain in his shoulder. He managed to get up using his other arm. After a few more steps he fell again, screaming again at the pain he felt in his calf. The smoke was making it hard to breathe as he lay there. It felt like he would cough up one of his lungs. The flames began licking at his body, eating through his clothes.

Pearce jolted awake with a scream. He checked himself over, making sure there were no burns. There was a patch of gauze taped to his left shoulder, arm in a sling, and a bandage wrapped around a section of his right calf. He then realized he was no longer wearing the top half of his Team Rocket disguise, and the bottom half of the pants had been cut off. With the beeping machine connected to the clamp on his index finger, he drew the conclusion he was in the hospital.

Looking over, Pearce saw Burst in one of the chairs. He couldn't tell if it was asleep, but he assumed so. Someone that made his heart soar occupied the other chair. Ermantus was curled up like a cat, sleeping peacefully. The sight brought tears to his eyes, and confusion to his mind. How was she okay? Come to think of it, he wasn't even sure where they were. He looked out the window, but it was too dark to see much. Deciding it was something to deal with in the morning, Pearce lied back down, closed his eyes, and fell into dreamless sleep.

"It's good to see that you're awake," the woman's voice snagged Pearce from his sleepy thoughts. She was dressed in scrubs and had a stethoscope around her neck. It was stereotypical doctor attire, minus the white coat. Awake was an overstatement, really. Pearce was still rubbing the sleep from his eyes, trying to snap them into focus.

"Where am I?" he asked, hoping it wouldn't seem like a stupid question.

"You're in a hospital, genius," she told him, smirking. "Sorry, I have to be a smartass sometimes. Otherwise this job would drive me insane. You're in Lavender Town. Your friends brought you here a few days ago,"

"Friends? As in plural?' Pearce was now beyond confused. Erika had been the only one with him when he was injured. At least the word 'friends' assured him that she was okay.

"Yes, plural," she gave him a puzzled look. "Did you injure your head when you got shot?"

"Shot?" the last moments prior to his falling unconscious flooded his mind. He _had_ been shot, or at least at the time he assumed that was what happened, now confirmed. He didn't know who had shot him, or who else had brought him to Lavender Town, but he guessed it had something to do with the shoes he saw before he blacked out.

"You're really lucky, kid," the doctor told him. "The bullet in your shoulder missed your bones, but it did graze your brachial artery. Just a millimeter or two lower and it would have been severed. At that point you can pretty much kiss your arm goodbye, or at least the motor function. You, however, should regain partial mobility in a few weeks, and the wound should be fully healed in a month or so. Give it a few more weeks from that and you should be able to use it normally. Then you can ditch the sling. As for your leg," her face told the boy it wouldn't have the same luck as his arm. "The bullet splintered part of your tibia. I was able to repair the damage, but if you want to leave this room it'll be in a wheelchair. I would say you won't be able to walk on it for at least a month, and even then you would need a cane for a while. In about two months the wound should completely heal, but you'll still need the cane after that. I hate to say it, but you may have to use a cane for the rest of your life,"

"Well, at least it'll be a story to tell the kids and grandkids, right?" she smiled at his attempt to be positive. "So how long will I be stuck in this hospital?" his voice was now laden with dread and despair.

The doctor gave him a look of sympathy. "I have to keep you here for five to seven more days. After that you can leave, but I would rather you stay in town until you can walk,"

Ermantus was awake at this point. Seeing her trainer awake as well, she jumped onto the bed next to him. It made him smile, forgetting some of his troubles. Even though they hadn't been separated for very long, to Pearce it was too much time apart. He reached down and began petting her, surprised by how smooth her skin was.

"Char," sighed the fire lizard. She appeared very pleased with the love she was receiving from her trainer, love she dearly needed after the torment she surely endured. After a few moments she began licking his fingers. It made Pearce smile. She was an adorable little Pokémon with a big heart.

"It's great to see a trainer whose Pokémon care so much," remarked the doctor, a large smile on her face. "Oh, the police have been wanting to talk to you. They should still be in the lobby. I'll let them know you're awake,"

Pearce just groaned. The last thing he wanted to do was speak to the police. He knew they would most likely scold him for doing what he did, and frankly he wasn't in the mood for it. His actions were completely justified with nothing illegal about them.

Minutes later an Officer Jenny entered the room. She asked what he was thinking going into such a dangerous place, as he expected. Once the situation had been explained, which Pearce thought should have already been done by Erika, she eased up on the scolding. After taking his statement she left, and Erika walked in.

"Pearce!" his friend ran towards him, causing Ermantus to hop from the bed. She quickly threw her arms around him, causing him to wince slightly.

"Careful with the shoulder," he told her.

"Sorry! Forgot about that," she pulled back. "How are you feeling?"

"How do I _look_?" he chuckled. "So tell me: how in the fuck did we get out of there alive?"

"Azo," she replied. "He was there to see what they were up to. He heard the commotion from our battles and after you rushed in to save Ermantus he busted in through the door. Naomi was kicking my ass, but he took care of her. We ran after you and saw you on the floor, Austin standing over you with a gun aimed at your head. Long story short, it's safe to say the two of them are in no better shape than you,"

"Let me get this straight: Azo, quite possibly the biggest pile of shit on the planet, saved our lives?" he was dumbfounded. It was the most ridiculous thing he'd heard all day.

"I know, damn near impossible to believe," Erika replied. "So, how long are you stuck in this joint?" she asked, taking a seat on the bed. With a sigh Pearce relayed the doctor's information to his friend. She was sympathetic but obviously upset. Clearly she didn't want to stay in Lavender Town for that long any more than he did.

"When the others get here, you should leave without me," his words took the girl by surprise. "I'll be here for a while, and I don't want to be a hindrance to you guys. You would be wasting time by staying here. I could catch up later, somehow," his voice was shaky, but he felt it was for the best. He would just slow them down.

"Shut up," now he was stricken. "We said it before we even left Pewter: it's all of us or none of us," Erika took hold of his good hand with both of hers. "We won't leave you, Pearce. We'll stay with you here in Lavender until you can go with us,"

Pearce wanted to cry. He figured his friends would stay with him no matter what he said, but it was nice they actually had to tell him leaving was out of the question unless he was with them, even if it was only from Erika. He knew Lux and Mable would tell him the same thing.

The next week was grueling for the ginger. He was bored out of his wits in the hospital. If he hadn't had Erika to talk to, he most likely would have gone insane. She took Ermantus, Burst, and Gizmo out for him to get exercise as well as occasional training, but he would rather have done it himself. He couldn't wait to get out of that building. It was like a prison. Their missing companions arrived on his last day of confinement, each with a Thunder Badge and new additions to their teams. Mable caught a Paras, which she named Kasu, and Lux caught a Weepinbell, named Chime. They were both thrilled to see the baby Charmander back with the gang, and disheartened about Pearce's condition, but were willing to stick by him until he was in traveling shape. Finally, the day came where Pearce was discharged from the hospital, and he knew exactly what he wanted to do first.

"Why are we here, Pearce?" Mable asked as the group entered the Pokémon Tower. "It's kind of a creepy place, if you ask me,"

"First off, there's really not much else in this town," Pearce began, Ermantus in his lap and Burst by his side. "Second, it's respectful to visit all of these dead Pokémon. Last, my mom and dad have some Pokémon buried here and I promised them I would pay my respects in their stead,"

"Besides, there's nothing to be afraid of here," said Erika, taking her turn to push the boy's chair. He would have refused any help had both his arms been working. "And who knows? We might see some ghost Pokémon,"

They made their way to the elevator, thankful for the alternative method to head up the tower. Pearce pressed the three, feeling lucky he remembered where the Pokémon he was here to see were located. After a few minutes of cheesy elevator music they arrived on the designated floor. It was quite a large room with a vast quantity of tombstones. For the most part they all looked the same, save the messages and names written on the fronts, each made from the same gray stone. There were some that were made of brighter materials, and they stood out in the sea of gray.

Pearce directed them towards the back of the room near the staircase. As they made their way, they passed a few people paying their respects. The despair and sorrow hung heavily in the air; it was almost palpable. Finally they made it to the graves they were looking for. On the left was a Clefable named Lady, his mother's first Pokémon, and the right was a Primeape named Tim, his dad's. Both were best friends to his parents, and they were devastated when they passed. The four of them sat in silence for a while, Pearce trying to convey the love of his parents to the two Pokémon. Ermantus seemed confused, but she stayed silent as she looked around the room. When the boy felt he had succeeded in doing just that, he opened his mouth to suggest they go. Something, however, caught his eye, stopping him from speaking.

Hovering in front of him was a tiny ball of blue flame. It stayed for a few moments, and then began floating away. Pearce started to follow it, but then remembered his restricted mobility.

"What is that?" Lux asked. It made Pearce feel good knowing he hadn't been the only one to see it. For a second he thought he might be going insane.

"I don't know, but I think it wants us to follow it," Pearce replied. The others agreed, and soon they were being led around the room by the ghostly flame. It took them around many of the graves, occasionally making a u-turn or just leading them in a circle. After leading them to the other side of the room, it halted, they along with it. Not long afterwards it vanished completely as though it had never been there at all.

"What _was_ that?" Mable was just as confused as the rest of them. With no explanation, the friends decided to leave. On the way out Pearce noticed a couple dressed in white leaving a nearby grave. The man, in a suit, had lavender hair that hung above his shoulders. The woman, in what could have been a wedding dress had it been a bit more stylized, had red hair that was blown back with a curl at the end. Curious, he looked at the grave the pair had just left.

'HERE LIES MEOWTH, A GREAT TEAM MEMBER AND A CHERISHED FRIEND'

To be continued…

* * *

**A/N: I did a lot of research for this chapter about the bullet wounds and healing times, and while I did have to make some adjustments and estimations, I tried to make the information as accurate as possible.**


	14. Devastating Waves

**Once again, we put our main group on hold. This time we follow Team Rocket's leaders as they launch another attack against Kanto.**

Devastating Waves

The red-haired woman wept as she knelt over the grave of her beloved Pokémon teammate. Her partner, the man with lavender hair, wept with her, with a hand placed on her shoulder. It had been six years to the day since the death of their friend, but it felt as though it had just happened.

"Let's get going, Jess," he suggested, wiping away the last of his tears.

"Right," she said with a nod, doing the same. As she rose, a group of teenagers caught her eye, but there was one she took special notice of. He was in a wheelchair, and in his lap was a Charmander. Anger was welling up inside her, but she managed to contain it as they made their way to the stairs. She put her finger on the talk button of the wireless communicator in her ear. "R-8, this is Red Fang. Tell Naomi we need to have a word with her when we get back,"

* * *

"What happened?" Jessie demanded an answer from the pink-haired psychic. "We sent you after them because you are one of our top assassins! So tell me: why are they still alive?"

"I experienced some difficulty with an old foe," Naomi replied, unfazed by the anger her boss was expressing. Her arm was in a sling, but it didn't seem to bother her either. "She took note of my location, so I had to get out,"

"Your personal issues are none of our concern," James told her. While authoritative, he was much calmer than his partner. "What _is_ our concern is the fact you left them alive and they found us. To top it off, you and Austin failed to kill them a second time and lost the Pokémon!"

"Another boy showed up when I was preparing to kill the girl," she was still as calm and emotionless as ever. "Austin managed to cause significant damage to the male target, but the other boy got the better of us both,"

Jessie was rubbing her temples. "So you mean to tell us that you were defeated by one measly twerp?" the assassin nodded affirmatively. "You leave us no choice. Both of you are on probation and will remain here until further notice,"

"Just be glad we didn't demote you," James spat. "Now go tell your partner," she stood and gave another nod before leaving to find Austin. The man turned to his teammate. "Ready for the next phase?"

Jessie sighed with frustration. "I suppose,"

* * *

The pair sat in the helicopter's cockpit, focus and determination coursing through them. "We're almost there," James told his partner. She nodded, a sinister smile creeping onto her face.

Once more she pressed the button on her communicator. "Wave One, this is Red Fang. Are you set?"

There was static before the reply came in. "Red Fang, this is Wave One. Systems are in place,"

"Wave Two, this is Purple Smog," James spoke into his own device. "Is everything in order?"

"Purple Smog, this is Wave Two. Device is set and ready,"

"Waves Three and Four, this is Red Fang,"

"Waves Five and Six, this is Purple Smog,"

"Are things ready?" they asked in unison.

"Roger," the four voices replied.

"Excellent. We're nearing the location; all units clear out at once. ETA is two minutes," James informed them. "Repeat, ETA is two minutes,"

Jessie looked at him as they approached the city, the same smile still on her face. "Shall we?" she pulled out a white remote with a black button.

"Let's," James replied, mirroring her face. She pressed the button, triggering a chain of explosions and destruction on the unsuspecting city below.

To be continued…

* * *

**A/N: I know this one was really short, and not only was it early but it wasn't one of my best. I apologize for that. Know that my next chapter will take a while. Thanks to those of you who are still sticking with me. Without you, I would have no reason to write.**


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